The Daily Beat: 20 September
Three out of four National Bank of Georgia’s (NBG) Vice Governors and an Advisor to the NBG President filed resignations following the National Bank’s decision to shield the US-sanctioned former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze. Now, the acting president of the NBG, Natia Turnava, who is behind the decision, is being left without deputies and under the shadow of FSB-linked Otar Partskhaladze. The Bank also risks being hamstrung since once the exit of the three VPs is finalized by the end of November, its depleted Board will no longer have legal power to make decisions.
President Salome Zurabishvili criticized Turnava’s decision at a press briefing and described it as “arbitrary and unacceptable.” President said Turnava’s actions undermined the NBG’s credibility and Georgia’s financial stability. Zurabishvili apologized to the public for nominating Turnava as the NBG’s acting president and called on her to resign.
President was not alone in her calls. Hundreds of opposition representatives and civic activists held demonstrations before the NBG building and later near the parliament, demanding Turnava’s resignation and a proper investigation of Partskhaladze’s case. The demonstrators also accused the government of collaborating with Putin’s Russia and protecting Partskhaladze, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for the links with the notorious FSB.
The two largest commercial banks, TBC and Bank of Georgia, publicly affirmed their commitment to adhere to the international sanctions imposed by the U.S., the EU, and the United Kingdom. Later in the day, smaller banks – Liberty Bank, ProCredit Bank, Tera Bank, and Basisbank – also announced their commitment to comply with international sanctions.
By the evening, Otar Partskhaladze was on the way to losing his Georgian citizenship after the justice ministry issued a conclusion of the reports of him holding a Russian passport. The final decision rests with the President, who is certain to sign on the dotted line. As the morning dawned in the Western hemisphere, the U.S. State Department took note of the day’s upheavals in Tbilisi and warned that anyone protecting Partskahladze risked retaliatory sanctions, too.
According to Russian media reports, the Russian city of Vladikavkaz hosted the “Russo-Georgian Business Council,” which pondered the expansion of transport links with and through Georgia. Vladimir Padalko, Vice President of Russia’s trade and commerce chamber, stressed the need for expanding transport links with Georgia, citing the country’s increasing potential as “a logistical hub to the world” for Russia. The Russian news outlet reported that the Georgian side is also interested in deepening trade-economic relations with Russia.
