Ex-Pres Zourabichvili says many Georgian ministers ‘forced to remain silent’ amid corruption allegations

Many Georgian ministers are being forced to remain silent while several face corruption accusations, former President Salome Zourabichvili said on Friday in a joint interview with TV Pirveli and Formula.

“Many ministers are compelled to keep quiet, we see how many of them are under corruption allegations”, Zourabichvili said, adding that former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili had previously sought to convince the European Union that Georgia was not straying from its European path.

“The 80 percent of Georgians who consistently support EU integration, as reflected in various surveys, have not gone anywhere. The protest sentiment has not vanished either. Even among those currently in the foreground, ministers and others, how many truly want closer ties with Russia? Many are forced to remain silent or accept things under pressure”, she said.

Zourabichvili also noted that despite the Government’s failure to fully meet reform obligations, Gharibashvili “tried hard to persuade” EU representatives that Georgia remained committed to its European course.