Georgian PM links Credit Suisse case to political motivation, robbery, says no blackmail will force Ivanishvili against country

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday positively assessed the conclusion of the legal dispute that began in Bermuda between Bidzina Ivanishvili and Credit Suisse, once considered a flagship of the global banking system, with Ivanishvili’s full and unconditional victory.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted that this was a robbery case that began in 2008 and had a clear political basis.

“We all already knew what the truth was and how brutal the robbery case was, which was related to Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili’s account in the Swiss bank. This was a robbery case that began in 2008 and had a clear political basis. Let us recall that the beginning of this robbery case is connected with the period when Bidzina Ivanishvili stopped all communication with [imprisoned former president] Mikheil Saakashvili, the then Government. After that, this whole process began, which has been going on for so many years. All this indicates the difficult situation that has been formed specifically in the banking system. Specific commercial organisations behave so rudely, treat private clients so rudely, and this is happening in the middle of Europe, in Switzerland. No one could have imagined this a few decades ago, but what was unthinkable years ago is now an established fact”, the PM said.

“As for the direct return of the money, the court's decision in itself is not a guarantee of this, which Bidzina Ivanishvili's lawyer also spoke about. Pressure and blackmail continue, which is related to political events, and we think that this blackmail will continue in the future. Let's wait for the development of events. Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili has repeatedly made statements that no blackmail can force him to take any step against the country”, he concluded.