TBILISI, August 6 – An opposition party in Georgia says its bank account has been seized, in what it claims is political retaliation linked to the scandal surrounding Germany’s ambassador.
Lelo party secretary general Irakli Kupradze said the National Bureau of Enforcement, under the Ministry of Justice, had notified the party of the freeze. He called it “yet another feeble attempt” to obstruct the opposition’s campaign ahead of Georgia’s October elections.
The controversy erupted last weekend when media revealed that German Ambassador Peter Fischer’s spacious residence in central Tbilisi is owned by the wife of imprisoned opposition politician Mamuka Khazaradze. Khazaradze is one of several radical opposition figures calling for regime change.
Top officials from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party accused Fischer of breaching diplomatic protocol by renting from a politically active figure. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also raised concerns over possible tax violations tied to the lease.
Georgia’s Revenue Service opened an investigation, and Khazaradze later confirmed that tax irregularities had occurred, but insisted they were settled.
GD officials escalated the pressure Tuesday, questioning why Fischer had signed a lease with Khazaradze in 2022, despite the latter’s earlier fraud conviction.
