Georgia: Ex-Defense Minister Returns to Political Fray

After nearly a month of silence, former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili threw his weight behind Georgia's opposition protests, renewing his attack on the Georgian government in a surprise television interview from Munich. While the opposition has rallied around the former-minister-turned-opposition-leader, the government continues to deny his accusations and to downplay his influence.

During an exclusive interview with the pro-opposition television station Imedi, broadcast late November 5, the former minister pledged to prove allegations he made earlier against President Mikheil Saakashvili – including an alleged order to "liquidate" opposition financer Badri Patarkatsishvili – by providing Georgian media with telephone transcripts. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Despite his later retractions, Okruashvili maintained that all of his accusations against the government remain "the truth." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"A president [worse than] Saakashvili has never existed in Georgia," Okruashvili said during the interview, adding that while it is "impossible" to prove his allegations in a Georgian court, he has enough evidence to convict Saakashvili in "any" foreign court "in a week."

According to his spokesperson, Tamar Rukhadze, Okruashvili plans to send the transcripts to Georgian newspapers. Currently there are no details available about when the transcripts will be published or where.

The former minister used his 45-minute interview with Imedi journalist Eka Khoperia to address some aspects of the controversy surrounding his retracted accusations, but far from all. The former minister first apologized to his supporters for his confession. He maintained, however, that "human factors" were used to force him to retract his allegations against Saakashvili. A virtual parade of government officials tried to pressure him into leaving politics during the last three days he was in prison, he claimed.

"For three days, half of the government was in my cell for conversations," he said, noting that he was never given the "honor" of a visit from Saakashvili himself and officials made "lucrative" proposals to make him leave politics.

While he did not go into detail about his confession, Okruashvili accused the government of spiriting him to Munich – via a business-class plane ticket – to stop his participation in the protests. Government officials maintain that the former minister requested the trip abroad for "medical purposes."

In a statement to the press November 6, Deputy General Prosecutor Nika Gvaramia stated that the reason for Okruashvili's trip abroad was just one of the many inconsistencies in the former defense minister's statements. Gvaramia asserted that Okruashvili is working with tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, who recently went public with an offer to finance the 10-party coalition opposing Saakashvili. Without offering evidence that could substantiate their claim, government supporters have accused Patarkatsishvili, the former co-owner of Imedi television, of acting as a Russian agent, striving to undermine political stability in Georgia. Imedi television likewise is facing accusations that it is being manipulated by Moscow. Russia and Georgia have been locked in a long-standing feud over a variety of geopolitical issues, in particular the status of the separatist-minded territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

During his interview, Okruashvili denied government allegations that he has joined forces with Patarkatsishvili in a bid to destabilize the Georgian government. In response, Gvaramia released a taped telephone conversation between two of Okruashvili's alleged associates, Davit Jibgashvili and Nana Lejava, who speak about Jibgashvili bringing Okruashvili money from "Badri."

Speculation about the financial doings of both Patarkatsishvili and Okruashvili has long circulated in Georgia. In an apparent attempt to play to this sensitivity, the deputy general prosecutor also claimed that Okruashvili lied when he denied paying the 10 million lari (roughly $6 million) bail last month; the deputy general prosecutor maintains that a business owned by Okruashvili paid 6.5 million lari (over $4 million) and that a close business associate of Okruashvili, Tamaz Nizharadze, paid the rest.

The response is unlikely to sway protestors, who responded with cheers to a live broadcast of Okruashvili's interview, aired in front of parliament late Monday night.

According to political scientist Dr. Alexander Rondeli, Okruashvili's interview was the opposition's "golden reserve" to build up support for their five-day old protests. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"The opposition is in a difficult situation right now," said Rondeli, president of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. "They are trying to bring in more people because numbers are what is important [in this type of situation]."

Protester numbers appeared to dwindle on November 6, numbering in the low hundreds. Three governing party MPs, so far, have publicly supported demonstrators' calls for early elections.

On November 6, parliamentarian Vladimir Papava, a deputy chairman of parliament's finance and budget committee, announced that he was leaving the party, but said that he did not plan to join the opposition. Along with two other National Movement MPs, Guguli Magradze and Jumber Patiashvili, Papava has supported the coalition's call for spring 2008 parliamentary elections as a way to avoid further political confrontation.

How Okruashvili's reemergence will affect that dynamic remains unknown. The ex-minister's appearance has made the government's position even more complicated, Rondeli said. While some of Okruashvili's accusations have been proven false, without documentation, he added, it is "difficult to say" how many of his allegations are true.

One of the most sensational accusations – and one that sparked considerable popular disgruntlement upon its retraction – is that the body of the late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was moved before its discovery. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In his interview, Okruashvili said that he would not elaborate on the claim. He showed documents, however, which he claimed indicate the Interior Ministry has begun an investigation into Giorgi Zhvania, the late prime minister's brother, who has been one of the most outspoken critics of the official enquiry into Zurab Zhvania's 2005 death.

Little sign, however, has yet emerged that Okruashvili's comments are sparking division within the governing National Movement Party.

In response to the interview, influential National Movement parliamentarian Giga Bokeria referred to the former minister as a "single-use syringe."

"This man [Okruashvili] was a single-use syringe