Transparency of foreign funds should not face resistance, says Georgian Parliament official

Irakli Kadagishvili, the Chair of the Regional Policy and Self-Government Committee of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday responded to recent investigative actions conducted at the residences of heads of the so-called “foundations”, stressing that there was no reason to conceal foreign donations if they were serving the country’s best interests.

In his remarks, Kadagishvili suggested that the secrecy surrounding the funds indicated that they might have been used to fund illegal activities.

“The simplest answer is this: if the money transferred from abroad truly serves the best interests of Georgia and its citizens, why should it be hidden? And why would transparency about this funding provoke such fierce resistance?” the official said.

“This implies that the money was indeed used to fund unlawful actions. I repeat, this is no longer just our conclusion - the new US administration itself has made strong statements on this matter”, Kadagishvili concluded.

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday announced that investigative actions were underway at the residences of individuals leading the so-called “foundations”, as part of an ongoing investigation into sabotage and assisting foreign-controlled organisations in hostile activities against the country.

Tbilisi City Court issued search warrants for the residential and registered addresses of the heads of the organisations in question, aimed at obtaining information and documentation of evidentiary value.

As part of the ongoing investigation into sabotage, attempted sabotage under aggravating circumstances, assisting foreign or foreign-controlled organisations in hostile activities, and mobilising financial resources for actions aimed against Georgia’s constitutional order and national security, the bank accounts of the “Nanuka’s Foundation”, “Prosperity”, “Foundation for Each Other 24/7”, “Shame Movement”, and the “Tbilisi Human Rights House” were frozen on March 17.