Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the opposition party Lelo, has filed a lawsuit against Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze, accusing him of spreading false and damaging information about him.
The lawsuit was submitted to the Tbilisi City Court by Khazaradze’s lawyer, Zviad Kordzadze, on January 24, 2024. According to Kordzadze, the claim is an order by the court to reject the wrong information spread by Kaladze.
“Mr. Kaladze said about Mamuka Khazaradze that he was making people unhappy, taking away business, which is a statement damaging honor, dignity and business reputation. We file a lawsuit with the request to reject these reports, because they are not true, they are fake reports, and therefore, we ask the court to instruct Mr. Kaladze to reject the said report,” Kordzadze said.
The lawsuit stems from a statement made by Kaladze on January 18, 2024, during a meeting with the residents of the Vake district. Kaladze claimed that Khazaradze was involved in racketeering during the rule of the United National Movement (UNM) under former president Mikheil Saakashvili.
“Khazaradze was one of the main racketeers during the UNM regime. He was taking away businesses from people, making them unhappy. He was doing everything to make people’s lives miserable. He was a part of the system that oppressed and robbed people,” Kaladze said.
Kaladze also accused Khazaradze of being a puppet of Saakashvili, who is currently living in exile and facing multiple criminal charges in Georgia. Kaladze said that Khazaradze was trying to destabilize the country and undermine the government’s achievements.
Khazaradze denied the allegations and said that Kaladze was lying and slandering him. He said that he had never taken away anyone’s business and that he had always acted in accordance with the law. He also said that he had no connection with Saakashvili and that he was an independent politician who wanted to bring positive changes to Georgia.
Khazaradze is the founder and former chairman of TBC Bank, the largest bank in Georgia. He resigned from his position in 2019, after he and his deputy were charged with money laundering and fraud. Khazaradze claimed that the charges were politically motivated and aimed at destroying his reputation and business.
In the same year, he founded Lelo, a centrist political party that advocates for economic development, social justice, and European integration. Lelo participated in the 2020 parliamentary elections and won four seats in the legislature. Khazaradze has been a vocal critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party and its leader, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Kaladze is a former football player who played for AC Milan and the Georgian national team. He joined Georgian Dream in 2012 and became the minister of energy and natural resources. In 2017, he was elected as the mayor of Tbilisi, the capital and largest city of Georgia. He is considered to be one of the most influential and popular figures in Georgian politics.
The lawsuit between Khazaradze and Kaladze is the latest episode in the ongoing political crisis in Georgia, which has been marked by mass protests, polarization, and violence. The opposition parties have refused to recognize the results of the 2020 elections, which they claim were rigged and unfair. They have demanded new elections, electoral reforms, and the release of political prisoners. The government has rejected the opposition’s demands and accused them of trying to overthrow the constitutional order.
The international community has expressed its concern over the situation in Georgia and urged both sides to engage in dialogue and find a peaceful solution. The European Union and the United States have offered to mediate the talks and facilitate the resolution of the crisis.
