Kobakhidze Claims ‘Corrupt’ Ex-GD Members Feed Information to Opposition
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said unnamed individuals “suspected in corruption” and forced to leave the ruling party are behind spreading rumors of internal disputes within Georgian Dream, which they allegedly fund through intermediaries.
“There are concrete individuals […] funded by concrete persons who were suspected of corruption and had to leave the team,” Kobakhidze said in July 14 comments to journalists. He didn’t specify the names of the individuals and whether they were part of the ruling party “team” or also served in the government.
He named opposition politician Levan Khabeishvili and TV Pirveli anchor Nodar Meladze as recipients of the money, claiming they publicly voice information passed to them by those individuals.
“According to my information, which is not so unreliable, he [Khabeishvili] was on a monthly wage. He even had a nickname in the salary description. The same source also funds Nodar Meladze, who receives directives from this group suspected of corruption to spread this information,” Kobakhidze said.
Levan Khabeishvili, former chair of the United National Movement, has recently drawn attention following his seemingly prophetic remarks about the financial troubles of current and former Georgian Dream officials.
One of them was former Adjara government head Tornike Rizhvadze, who sustained a near-fatal gunshot wound on July 7 in what authorities said was a suicide attempt. Weeks before the incident, Khabeishvili claimed that the ex-official had been under pressure to repay more than USD 300,000 to Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly gained through corruption.
Khabeishvili also claimed other officials are facing similar pressure, including former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili, who resigned in April; former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who left politics the same month; and Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. His comments have been picked up by opposition-leaning media, particularly TV Pirveli, where Nodar Meladze’s investigative program airs.
“There are people suspected of corruption, and they try to overshadow the accusations that may exist against them with PR maneuvers. For this, they easily distribute money to Khabeishvili, Meladze, and others,” Kobakhidze further claimed.
Remarks follow a wave of controversies, including arrests, resignations, criminal prosecutions, and even gunshot incidents involving former officials and business associates of the Georgian Dream party and its billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Signs of a widening campaign have continued to emerge over the past days. On July 15, financial police searched a business center owned by Lasha Papashvili, a businessman believed to be close to the ruling party.
Resignations have also swept through key economic agencies in recent days. The heads of the Land Transport Agency, the Oil and Gas Corporation, and the Maritime Transport Agency, all under the Ministry of Economy, have stepped down. Maritime Agency head Aleksi Akhvlediani resigned after being charged with negligent storage of the firearm that wounded Rizhvadze.
While Georgian Dream touts its “uncompromising” anti-corruption efforts, the one-party parliament has advanced a legislative package that would toughen penalties for financial crimes. The bill, which has passed two readings and awaits final approval, includes long-term travel bans for convicts, asset seizures from relatives, and penalties for those who offer them even minimal assistance.
In the eyes of critics, the legislation’s selective focus raises concerns that the anti-corruption banner is being wielded less as a tool of reform and more as an instrument of political retribution in the hands of Bidzina Ivanishvili.
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