Ruling Party Tells Opposition Politician to Explain Funding Remarks

Lawmakers from the ruling National Movement Party called on an opposition politician, Levan Gachechiladze, to give details on funding he had said would receive soon.

Gachechiladze, an individual opposition politician and one of key figures behind the ongoing protests, said at a protest rally on June 19 that he had traveled abroad to raise funds for “continuing struggle.” He did not specify details of his trip to Europe or whom he met with there.

“The law bans financing of political processes from abroad and when a statement is made that one traveled abroad to get money we at least should know ‘who orders the music’; ‘who performs the music’ we already know, but ‘who orders the music’ – that’s the question which exists for a long time already. Is this legal money…. Or is it the money which we suspect it to be – oligarchs’ money, Russian money, black money allocated for destabilization in Georgia?” Giorgi Gabashvili, a lawmaker from the ruling party, said at a session of the parliamentary bureau on June 22.

“I do not think we should turn a blind eye on those remarks [by Gachechiladze],” he added.

Responding to those remarks by the ruling party lawmaker, Levan Gachechiladze said while speaking at a protest rally outside the Parliament on June 22, that each cent “will be transparent and will be spent for the interests of my country.”

But for now, he said, there was no need for details citing security concerns of those willing to contribute.

“It will be spent on freedom and democratic movement,” he said and reiterated earlier remarks that although he had not yet receive those funds, he had received firm pledges to allocate funds from unspecified sponsors. 

He also said it was not a funding from Russian sources. “We do not need to take such money,” Gachechiladze said.

Referring to ruling party lawmakers and the parliamentary bureau, he said: “I address the bureau of hyenas – stop this circus; it is impossible to stay in this circus forever.”

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