FM on ‘Links Between Criminal Network and Marginal Opposition’
The Georgian authorities were aware of links between Europe-based Georgian-organized crime network and “marginal opposition” groups in Georgian opposition well before it was reported in the German press, Grigol Vashadze, the Georgian foreign minister, said on June 24.
The German daily, Frankfurter Rundschau, reported this week, citing a 66-page report by the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office, that last year Georgian opposition groups, whose identities are not revealed in the article, were in contact with the Georgian-organized crime network through an owner of a Georgian restaurant in Vienna, who acted as a go-between. According to the same report the Austrian police concluded based on phone tapping records, that the criminal network aimed at using the opposition street protest last spring and summer, to overthrow President Saakashvili’s government.
According to the same report the network tried to use assistance from “senior Interior Ministry officials” as well in reaching its goal. Vienna-based members of the network were also in contact with Georgian embassy and consulate employees, receiving information from them, according to the report.
“Our [diplomatic] mission in Vienna had a meeting with relevant Austrian authorities and the Austrian side expressed deep regret that the information was leaked to the media, before these materials were sent to court,” Grigol Vashadze, the Georgian foreign minister, said at a joint news conference with his Austrian counterpart, Michael Spindelegger, in Tbilisi.
“As far as links between Vienna-based some criminals and so called opposition, marginal opposition is concerned, we’ve been speaking about it for a long time already and there is nothing surprising in [this report],” Vashadze added.
The Austrian Foreign Minister said that he was not aware of details of this report, but would request information about it from the Austrian Interior Ministry after he returns back to Vienna.
The Frankfurter Rundschau also reported, citing the Austrian police report, that the owner of Georgian restaurant in Vienna, who acted a go-between, was also in contact with Moscow-based ex-Georgian security chief, Igor Giorgadze, who is wanted in Georgia for assassination attempt against ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze fifteen years ago.
Dozens of persons, identified as members of Georgian mafia in Europe, were arrested in a coordinated operation in Europe in mid-March, 2010. The arrests, which took place in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Italy, were part of a year-long operation codenamed Java.
Lasha Shushanashvili, identified as boss of the Georgian-organized crime network in Europe, could escape the arrest in Greece. The Frankfurter Rundschau reported, citing the Austrian police report, that attempts by the Shushanashvili’s network to meddle in Georgia’s political developments was revealed as a result of investigations in frames of Java operation.
The Frankfurter Rundschau wrote that the Austrian police was well aware of political sensitivity of the matter and it was not yet clear whether phone tapping records would be sent to court along with other evidence against the Georgian criminal network members.
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