Razden Kuprashvili, the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, has accused opposition political parties of financial opacity. Kuprashvili, who was appointed by the Prime Minister, claims that a lack of complete transparency in funding poses a threat to a fair election process.
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"As a result of the monitoring carried out by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, it was revealed that the funding of political parties, namely: European Georgia - Movement for Freedom, Yes to Georgia - Strategy Agmashenebeli, National Movement, Girchi - More Freedom, Strong Georgia - Lelo for People, for Freedom, Elene Khoshtaria - Droa, and New Unity - Gvaramia Melia, is not fully disclosed. At the same time, their election campaigns and activities may be financed by foreign donor organizations or other sources, which in turn provide funds to NGOs affiliated with these political parties. According to this scheme, supporting political parties and processes with foreign money poses a threat to a fair election process," said Razden Kuprashvili, who was appointed as the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Bureau by the Prime Minister.
Kuprashvili also stated that he had ordered the Freedom Square movement, the Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy, the chairman of these organizations, Levan Tsutskiridze, and 24 members of the movement to submit financial reports, as they had openly made political statements.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau also commented on the Festival of Democracy held in the country, saying that only certain political parties and non-governmental organizations were invited to the festival. The 'Democratic Festival' is organized by the Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy and supported by the Danish Institute of Parties and Democracy. Based on the evidence obtained in the case, we have reason to believe that this festival is political in nature and is aimed at supporting specific participating political parties. Only a select number of political parties were invited to the Festival, and not all parties had the opportunity to participate. Additionally, only those non-governmental organizations whose activities are aimed at supporting or refraining from supporting specific political parties participated in the so-called Festival. The process of gathering evidence in this case is ongoing, and the final decision will be made known to the public," Kuprashvili said.
It is known that the Festival of Democracy was held in Tsalenjikha, Telavi, and Kutaisi, but in Batumi, the organizers canceled it. Georgian Dream stated that the issue of financing the festival raises questions, and foreign interference in the election campaign is not allowed.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kuprashvili, calls for the disclosure of IRI and NDI grants. "In the current election process, the activities of international observation organizations are of the utmost importance. Therefore, we appeal to all organizations, including NDI (National Democratic Institute) and IRI (International Republican Institute), which should act as objective observers in the elections. Ensure the transparency of your grants so that funded events are not used to support political parties. Neutrality and objectivity are crucial for election monitoring organizations," Kuprashvili said.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau did not comment on the activities of the ruling party.
