Prepared by Messenger Staff
Former Deputy Minister Koba Gabunia Arrested for Abuse of Power
The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance announced the arrest of former Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Koba Gabunia, who supervised the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia. He is accused of abusing official authority.
According to the agency, searches were conducted at 20 locations, including the homes of Gabunia, former Minister Irakli Karseladze, and other individuals.
Earlier, the former Executive Director of the Municipal Development Fund, Davit Tabidze, along with the fund's program and project managers, were detained. They cooperated with investigators and were released on bail.
The Investigation Service said executives of Lagi Capital LLC were arrested for fraudulently appropriating 9.36 million GEL allocated for the rehabilitation of 30 kindergartens and for laundering 1.21 million GEL of illegal income. Between July 2023 and May 2024, the company submitted unsupported advance payment requests, which were approved under Gabunia's instructions. Despite earlier funds being misused, Gabunia allegedly authorized another advance of 11.2 million GEL, of which Lagi Capital embezzled 9.36 million GEL.
The case is being investigated under several articles of the Criminal Code, carrying a possible prison sentence of 9 to 12 years.
Kobakhidze Says Some Parties Will Not Be Banned Due to Lack of Influence
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that certain political parties will not be banned because they "do not have a real impact on the process."
His comments refer to the ruling Georgian Dream's initiative to outlaw several opposition parties. On October 28, Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili announced that the party would appeal to the Constitutional Court to ban the United National Movement, Lelo, and Akhali. Earlier, on October 16, parliament passed amendments granting the Constitutional Court the power to dissolve political parties.
Kobakhidze said: "For example, such a practice exists in Germany, and the case law of the Strasbourg Court follows the same principle. A lawsuit was filed to ban the National Democratic Party in Germany, but the Constitutional Court rejected it because the party lacked the resources to cross the electoral threshold and had no real influence."
He added that when a political group "does not have a significant impact on the political process, it does not pose a real threat to the constitutional order," noting that Georgia had considered this precedent.
Kobakhidze also warned that if anyone tries to circumvent the Constitutional Court's ruling on the banning of a party, the restriction "will be extended to the so-called successor parties."
