Papuashvili Says Report on 24 Million GEL in Officials' Gifts Is 'Manipulation'
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has dismissed a report by Transparency International Georgia claiming that public officials received gifts worth 24 million GEL over an eight-month period, accusing the organization of manipulating data and acting as "a weapon of hybrid war against Georgia."
The criticism came after Transparency International Georgia reported that 379 public officials declared receiving gifts valued at 24 million GEL between September 2025 and April 2026. According to the organization, the gifts included 11 million GEL in cash, 12 million GEL worth of real estate, as well as vehicles, firearms and jewelry. The watchdog said that 60.78% of the gifts came from officials' parents.
Responding to the report, Papuashvili argued that the figures were misleading because they largely reflected transfers within families that were legally disclosed in officials' asset declarations.
"There are tens of thousands of public officials. Summarizing and presenting in numbers that a spouse gave something to a spouse, a child gave something to a parent, or a parent gave something to a child, is manipulation and farce, which only indicates that Transparency International Georgia is a weapon of hybrid war against Georgia," Papuashvili said.
He also questioned the organization's funding, claiming it was engaged in a coordinated campaign against the Georgian state.
"Those who are funding Transparency International today are waging a hybrid war against Georgia. It seems that Transparency International is being secretly funded from European funds, because they are not saying anything publicly," he said.
Papuashvili maintained that the gifts in question had been properly declared, arguing that their inclusion in official disclosures undermined any suggestion of wrongdoing.
"We are talking about declared gifts. If something is illegal income, then no one would have declared it. Since it is in the declaration, how can it be illegal income?" he said. "It is absurd."
Transparency International Georgia said its review covered gifts reported in asset declarations submitted between September 2025 and April 2026. The organization found that most gifts came from close family members, while others included cash, real estate and other valuable assets such as cars, weapons and jewelry.
