TI Georgia Says Investigations Show Clan Infighting, Not Anti-Corruption Drive
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Transparency International Georgia has accused the authorities of using corruption investigations as a tool in an internal power struggle within the ruling Georgian Dream party, arguing that the cases do not represent a genuine effort to combat elite corruption.
"This is not a fight against corruption," the organization said in a statement. "It is clear that there is infighting between clans within the ruling party and that investigative bodies are being used for this purpose."
The watchdog group said that in recent months, a series of investigations against former high-ranking officials, including their arrests and subsequent release on bail, have raised serious concerns about the real motives behind the cases. According to Transparency International Georgia, the probes have been selective and have focused on a limited group of former officials rather than addressing all credible corruption allegations.
The organization said its review of the ongoing investigations shows that those under scrutiny are mainly associated with two internal factions of Georgian Dream. These are linked to former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili and former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. At the same time, Transparency International Georgia noted that corruption allegations have accumulated in recent years against many other senior officials, yet no investigations have been launched in those cases.
"This selective targeting of specific former high-ranking officials of Georgian Dream indicates clan confrontation within the ruling party," the statement said, adding that law enforcement bodies appear to be playing a role in that internal struggle.
Transparency International Georgia also said it is unclear why Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili has distanced himself from some of his former subordinates. While numerous explanations have circulated publicly in recent months, the organization stressed that there is still no publicly available evidence to determine the exact reasons for the fallout.
