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The News in Brief

Thursday, December 12
By Liza Mchedlidze



Opposition leaders attacked at airport

European Georgia’s leaders Gigi Ugulava and Goka Gabashvili were attacked by two strangers at Tbilisi International Airport. The investigation has been launched under the article 126 of the criminal code into violence.

Both Ugulava and Gabashvili believe that this fact is related to their business visit to Larnaca, Cyprus where they were traveling to meet up with persons investigating billionaire and ‘Georgian Dream’ founder Bidzina Ivanishvili’s businesses in early 90s Russia, where he started the accumulation of capital. The opposition leaders think that this assault was a script created by the ‘Georgian Dream’ to stop them from going to Larnaca and holding a meeting.

“The meeting was going to be about assassinations and money laundering and I was going to get familiar with these documents when Bidzina Ivanishvili found out the theme of the meeting, created a scenario of circus fight at Tbilisi International Airport. I think that those documents are worth seeing.”

Gigi Ugulava and Goka Gabashvili were under examination for five hours and according to Ugulava, it was just a waste of time:

“I was at the examination for 5 hours, two hours out of five was just waste, I was watching football in the end, everyone got lost. Despite that, we did not find out who assaulted us and it deepened my doubt that all of this was planned.”

The investigator told Gigi Ugulava and Goka Gabashvili that because the crime was ‘light’ there was no need to see the videotape from the crime scene and refused to show it.

Both Ugulava and Gabashvili refuse to take an examination because they think ‘it is a waste of time’.



European Diplomats not invited to ‘Georgian Dream’s Council of Europe Chairing Event

During a briefing held on December 14, Kakha Kaladze stated that European Diplomats will not be attending the event dedicated to Georgia’s Chairing of Council of Europe. According to him, it is going to be a party and the invitation of diplomats is not expedient.

Kaladze said that this was an initiative from the Youth Wing of the party and politicians approved it. They are going to invite Georgian Dream and Georgia’s ‘European future’s’ supporters from all over the country and the transportation of these people will be organized and fully funded by the ruling party. The Georgian Dream's Council of Europe Chairing Event will be held at the same time as the Opposition’s protest against the Georgian Dream.