Reports say “at least a dozen” associates of Moscow-based Igor Giorgadze, Georgia’s wanted ex-security chief, were arrested in police raids at the offices of organizations and parties affiliated with Giorgadze’s Justice Party.
A series of arrests were carried out in Tbilisi and other major cities throughout Georgia.
Officials have not yet made any comment, but reports say that the arrests are linked to an alleged coup attempt supposedly masterminded by Igor Giorgadze.
Temur Zhorzholiani, leader of the Conservative-Monarchist Party; Maia Nikolaishvili, chairperson of the Anti-Soros Movement; and Maia Topuria of the Justice Party, who is related to Giorgadze, were arrested in Tbilisi.
Arrests were also carried out in Batumi, Zugdidi, Samtredia, Gori and in the Kakheti region, where local executives of the Justice Party were detained.
Police are searching the office of Giorgadze’s Charity Foundation in Tbilisi; former influential politician Irina Sarishvili chairs the Foundation. She has just recently founded her own political party, Imedi (Hope).
The Anti-Soros Movement, Conservative-Monarchist Party and Imedi Party are all affiliated with Giorgadze’s Russia-leaning Justice Party.
“Search operations are underway in our offices, some political leaders have been arrested on charges of attempting a coup – this is yet another stupid decision of our authorities,” Giorgi Khmelidze of the Imedi Party told reporters on September 6.
Conservative-Monarchist party leader Temur Zhorzholiani’s lawyer Gela Nikolaishvili said that law enforcers are accusing Zhorzholiani of having links with a planned coup attempt.
“Zhorzholiani took part in a meeting which allegedly occurred on May 24 [2006] with the participation of activists from the Anti-Soros movement and Justice Party where they allegedly plotted a coup masterminded by Igor Giorgadze. Zhorzholiani says that the allegations are fabricated,” Gela Nikolaishvili told reporters.
Some parliamentarians from the ruling National Movement party have justified the arrests, saying that Giorgadze’s associates in Georgia were financed by the Russian special services to undermine stability in the country.
“We know that these organizations are financed by our enemies. We have information that they are financed by the Russian special services. These are anti-state organizations,” MP Mikheil Machavariani, the Vice-Speaker of Parliament, said.
MP Pikria Chikhradze of the opposition New Rights party said that although most opposition parties have a negative view of Giorgadze’s party, “we want to know whether these arrests are justified.”
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