OCCRP Refutes Georgian Dream's Denial of Ivanishvili Family's Alleged Russian Properties
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, August 19, 2024
On August 9, 2024, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in collaboration with Georgian media partners, published an investigation alleging that the wife of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, owns properties in Russia. This report has sparked a heated response from the ruling party.
The Georgian Dream party quickly denied the allegations, stating that since 1998, neither Ivanishvili nor his family members had purchased any property in Russia, and they asserted that none of them had traveled to Russia after that year. The party dismissed the investigation as "sheer lies" and criticized the media outlets involved for spreading what they described as misinformation.
In response to these denials, OCCRP issued a statement reaffirming the accuracy of their investigation. The organization highlighted that their report was based on public records and independent verification. "These are matters of public record and not politics," said OCCRP Publisher Drew Sullivan. "We're not interpreting the information, just reporting it. We stand by the facts we presented."
The OCCRP investigation revealed that Ivanishvili's wife, Ekaterine Khvedelidze, had acquired additional properties near Moscow in 2021 and 2024, with the total value of these assets estimated at around $14.7 million. The report also uncovered financial activities involving a Russian company linked to the Ivanishvili family, which has been involved in significant transactions despite international sanctions on Russia.
To support its claims, OCCRP published a document showing that one of the properties was transferred to Khvedelidze by Ivanishvili's cousin earlier this year. Despite the ruling party's strong denials, OCCRP maintains that its reporting is grounded in verified sources and remains committed to its mission of providing accurate, timely information to the public.
