Tbilisi Mayor accuses ‘informal global actors’ of political pressure in ongoing Ivanishvili court case

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has claimed that former Prime Minister and Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili was facing “continued political blackmail,” alleging that the ongoing legal proceedings in London reflected a wider campaign driven by “informal global actors.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday Kaladze said that although Ivanishvili had won multiple court disputes in various jurisdictions in previous years, the rulings have not been enforced - a pattern he expects to repeat in the current case.

“This is political will executed on behalf of informal rulers”, he claimed.

According to Kaladze, the litigation targeting Ivanishvili aimed to pressure him into compromising Georgia’s strategic interests.

“The blackmail against Bidzina Ivanishvili continues. The goal was to force him to concede the country’s interests, but he took a principled stance because this concerns Georgia’s future,” Kaladze said.

He insisted that the government will continue acting based on what it considers the interests of the Georgian people and the state.