Tbilisi Mayor and one of the leaders of the Georgian Dream party, Kakha Kaladze, once again commented on the situation surrounding former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. He said he regrets the situation his former colleague has found himself in.
"I feel sorry to see my former teammate in the situation he has created with his actions and statements [...] I am not going to indulge in political speculation. Irakli Kobakhidze is a worthy prime minister. He conducts his work with determination, honesty, and professionalism. Unfortunately, the former team leader makes statements without any substantiation. Since 2012, we have been through many difficulties together. I feel sorry for him as a human being," Kaladze said.
Garibashvili, who served as Prime Minister of Georgia from 2013 to 2015 and from 2021 to 2024, is currently serving a five-year sentence for money laundering. In late August, he was charged with accepting a bribe on an especially large scale. Under this charge, he faces 11 to 15 years in prison.
Journalists also touched on Garibashvili's time as Prime Minister in a conversation with current Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. He was asked why, while in parliament, he hadn't personally monitored the government for corruption. Kobakhidze responded that the capabilities of a parliamentarian and the head of government differ, citing the work of his own team after coming to power.
"Of course, in parliament you have one set of resources, and when you directly manage the system, it's a completely different set." Even when I was already prime minister, it took me and my team a year and five months, following Bidzina Ivanishvili's orders, to completely rid the system of fundamental problems," Kobakhidze stated.
Furthermore, he dismissed rumors of a possible resignation. The prime minister noted that the question of his resignation comes up regularly and will likely be asked again by journalists in a few months.
Kobakhidze dismissed reports of Zurab Pataridze's possible appointment as prime minister as "chortaoba" (a slang term meaning "intrigue" or "provocation"), adding that those who raise such questions are trying to "muddy the waters."
