Statement by Bokeria after Okruashvili’s Arrest
September 28
Giga Bokeria, a lawmaker from the ruling National Movement party:
The shameful statements made by Mr. Okruashvili several days ago were nothing but a failed attempt to gain political immunity though such scandalous statements. We hope that after the yesterday’s events everyone will understand that there is the supremacy of law in Georgia and all former and especially current officials, regardless of their political background, regardless of their statements in the past, present or future, they will be punished, if they commit a crime, if they misuse power, if they steal money.
Yesterday we already witnessed a traditional behavior from our opponents, hysteria, swearing. This is their usual choice. Especially those people seemed nervous, who hoped that by jumping into Okruashvili’s boat, they would have been able to save their failing political career. It is their problem.
It is clear for everyone that not political statements [made by Okruashvili] were followed by [his] arrest, but on the contrary, the legally justified arrests [referring to the arrests of ex-governor of Shida Kartli, Mikheil Kareli and the president’s spokesman, Dimitri Kitoshvili, both Okruashvili’s associates], struggle against corruption were followed by [Okruashvili’s] political statements.
We are building a democratic and free country, where the freedom of speech is the most important value and you all have witnessed yesterday, how this freedom can be used dirtily [referring to outcry of the opposition politicians over Okruashvili’s arrest]. This is part of democracy and freedom of speech.
I want to focus on one detail. Of course, it is our opponents’ business what kind of terms they will use, but yesterday I heard for several time a term ‘ouster’. I want to tell everybody: be careful and try to avoid any violent actions through your ignorance; otherwise, the respond from the state, as it should be in a legal state, would be the strictest, however in frames of law.