TBILISI, September 15 – The lawyer of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder and honorary chairman of Georgia’s ruling party, has accused foreign journalists of trying to discredit his client while covering an ongoing case involving alleged misappropriation of Ivanishvili’s bitcoin holdings.
In a statement released this week, lawyer Temo Tsikvadze said he had been contacted by Daniel Boffey of The Guardian and Philip Shishkin, who told him he was preparing a story for The New York Times. Both, Tsikvadze claimed, were “clearly hired by Bachiashvili or his family” and acting out of “mercantile interest.”
The case centers on allegations that Giorgi Bachiashvili unlawfully took control of bitcoin belonging to Ivanishvili and engaged in money laundering. Ivanishvili is described in the statement as the “victim” in the case.
Tsikvadze said Boffey sent him an email late on September 12, giving him only three hours to respond before publication. According to the lawyer, the email contained “abstract, baseless accusations” that echoed claims made by Bachiashvili’s mother, including suggestions that Ivanishvili lacked compassion or could be “evil.” Tsikvadze argued that the timing and content of the correspondence showed the journalist had no interest in Ivanishvili’s answers but only in spreading negative views.
He also criticized Boffey for writing that U.S. sanctions against Ivanishvili were tied to alleged democratic backsliding in Georgia. Tsikvadze insisted the sanctions, introduced by the U.S. State Department in December, were “unsubstantiated” and referred only to “suspicious ties with Russia,” without mentioning democracy or human rights issues.
On Shishkin, Tsikvadze said he had responded to all of the reporter’s questions in August, but the article had still not been published by mid-September. He argued this showed the same pattern of “controlled media” ignoring Ivanishvili’s explanations while serving other interests.
Ivanishvili, once Georgia’s richest man and briefly its prime minister, remains a powerful figure in the country’s politics as the founder and honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
