Ruling party official highlights role of wanted former official Kezerashvili in funding domestic “radical” opposition, NGOs
Levan Machavariani
Photo: IMEDI/video frame
Levan Machavariani, the Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Saturday claimed David Kezerashvili - the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia in the former United National Movement Government - was funding both domestic opposition parties and “radical” non-governmental organisations.
Machavariani’s comments followed after the Georgian Prosecutor's Office on Friday said that over $1 million had been transferred to bank accounts of David Kezerashvili, his sister and nephew as part of the fraudulent appropriation of funds from European citizens.
“Kezerashvili also funds opposition parties, radical NGOs, donor organisations are also made to fund radical NGOs and radical opposition through various schemes”, Machavariani claimed.
The ruling party official stressed it was for this reason that these forces were opposing the domestic law on transparency of foreign influence.
“It has long been known to us Kezerashvili funds - he said it in an interview - opposition parties and radical NGOs. It is very unfortunate that such [dark] money is flowing into Georgia. In addition, external forces that protect these radical groups also make donor organisations to fund radical NGOs, radical opposition through various schemes”, Machavariani concluded.
The Prosecution Service of Georgia on Friday said the analysis of the information seized from the bank sector had determined that one of the managers of the [fraudulent] call centre operating under the name of Morgan Limited LLC, who is in custody based on an arrest warrant issued as part of the measures carried out, transferred over one million USD to Kezerashvili, his sister’s and his nephew’s bank accounts in the period when the citizens of the European countries were defrauded.
The British public broadcaster BBC last year revealed its investigation into a fraudulent “call centre” scheme involving Kezerashvili, detailing a global network of a scam operation targeting customers.
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