Leaders of the opposition coalition “Strong Georgia” are not intimidated by a parliamentary commission summoning them to testify.
Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of the coalition, said they will not attend the commission’s hearings. He believes the commission is being used by the ruling party “Georgian Dream” to intimidate and silence opposition voices.
Elisashvili claimed that the commission cannot conduct a real investigation and is only there to write reports and decide whether to send them to the prosecutor’s office. He thinks it is pointless for his coalition leaders, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, to attend the hearings because it would legitimize the commission and parliament.
The parliamentary temporary investigative commission was set up to examine the activities of the former government of “United National Movement.” However, Elisashvili believes that its real goal is to silence opposition voices. He thinks that by not attending the hearings, his coalition leaders are showing their strength and refusing to be intimidated by the ruling party.
The commission plans to refer Mamuka Khazaradze’s case to the prosecutor’s office because he failed to appear at a scheduled hearing. It will also deliberate on whether to send Badri Japaridze’s case to the prosecutor’s office.
Elisashvili said that if his coalition leaders had attended the hearings, it would have been seen as a victory for the ruling party and a sign of weakness from the opposition.