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Political Battles in Georgia: Will anyone emerge as a winner?
Real estate news By Lili DI PUPPO
06/10/2007 Issue
In September 2007, the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) praised Georgia for its “stunning progress” in its reforms since the Rose Revolution, citing the country as an example for the whole region and beyond. Last week, the NGO Transparency International announced that Georgia had moved out from the group of countries considered to have a “rampant corruption” problem, scoring an honorable 3.4 points out of a total of 10, which is seen as a significant improvement from its previous scores. These achievements will have probably left most Georgians unimpressed in view of the recent political crisis that is shaking the country. The crisis was unleashed by the arrest of former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili, after he voiced scandalous allegations of corruption and murder against the government.
In the course of one night, Saakashvili’s government has done a lot more than oppositional groups and Russia combined to damage its international image. A shock wave has agitated Georgia after the scandalous allegations of murder and corruption voiced by former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili against President Saakashvili and his team on the TV channel Imedi on September 25 and the quick answer of the government.
Okruashvili has accused President Saakashvili of wanting to order the murder of businessman Patarkatsishvili, owner of Imedi, and of covering his uncle Temur Alasiana’s corrupt deals. The government was quick to react and Okruashvili was arrested on charges of money-laundering, extortion and abuse of power on September 27. He is accused of extorting shares in the mobile phone company Geocell and of having provided exclusive construction contracts to a friend’s company, while serving as Defense Minister. It is the timing of the arrest just two days after Okruashvili’s TV interview that leaves no doubts on the political motives behind it, even if the influential deputy of the ruling party and government’s virtual spokesman Giga Bokeria stressed that the threat of an imminent arrest pushed Okruashvili to publicly voice these allegations. Anger in the Georgian population has triggered mass protests in front of the Georgian parliament on September 28. Oppositional groups have formed an alliance and called for anticipated parliamentary elections.
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