STATE CAPTURE
BIDZINA IVANISHVILI’S RUTHLESS GRIP ON POWER
Bidzina Ivanishvili is a billionaire oligarch, founder of the Georgian Dream party, and the former Prime Minister of Georgia (2012-2013). Since leaving office, he has continued to cast a long shadow over the country, acting as its de facto ruler from the shadows.
Under Ivanishvili’s pervasive influence, Georgia has strayed from its European trajectory back into Russia’s orbit, despite overwhelming pro-Western sentiment among the population. With close ties to prosecutors, judges, lawmakers, and a deep state of public servants working in his service, Ivanishvili has managed to turn the institutions of state into instruments of support and execution of his own private agenda and personal profit. His perceived opponents and competitors are subjected to brutally rigged processes, thus ensuring his complete control over the nation at large.
The case against George Bachiashvili is a prime example of what happens when state capture infects the independence of the judiciary.
The pernicious negative impact of Ivanishvili’s continuing interference with the governance of Georgia has been noted by numerous media outlets and multilateral institutions. A resolution passed by the European Parliament notes “its concern over the destructive role played by the sole oligarch, Bidzina Ivanishvili, in Georgia’s politics and economy, and the level of control he exerts over the government and its decisions, including those on the politically motivated persecution of journalists and political opponents; is deeply worried by Ivanishvili’s exposed personal and business links to the Kremlin, which determine the position of the current Government of Georgia towards sanctions on Russia; calls on the Council and democratic partners to consider imposing personal sanctions on Ivanishvili for his role in the deterioration of the political process in Georgia.”
The US State Department has also noted the abuses of the judicial system under Ivanishvili’s state capture in their 2022 human rights country report. After a television channel published leaked audio recordings of Ivanishvili’s son calling the Minister of Interior to instruct him to crack down on his social media critics, that station then was raided by police on bogus charges. The report notes: “Media observers, NGO representatives, and opposition politicians alleged Georgian Dream party chair and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili continued to exert a powerful influence over the government and judiciary, including in government actions against the owner of TV Pirveli and the general director of Mtavari Arkhi, whose court cases remained open as of November.”
Rumors of Sanctions
Following Bidzina Ivanishvili’s most recent return to politics and his sponsorship of the controversial and deeply unpopular foreign agents law, there have been reports that the US government is preparing a raft of sanctions targeting him and his personal assets. According to a US official interviewed by Voice of America, “We have information that Ivanishvili undertook actions to develop relations with Russian oligarchs, took actions to enable Russia to gain better access to the Georgian market. In fact, he, took some actions at the direction of the Russian intelligence services.”
Bidzina Ivanishvili’s continuing control over the Georgian political sphere is also costing the country’s reputation and impeding their efforts to join the European Union. According to a report published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, “Ivanishvili’s domestic control is considerable, including of the ruling party, key state institutions, (especially the judiciary and the security services), and the economic arena. Arguably, all key members of the government and party officials are dependent on him. For example, one expert who formerly worked with government institutions states that, since Georgian Dream came to power in 2012, no minister, once dismissed, has taken up another national political role.”
According to Transparency International: “As it stands today, a single person keeps a firm grip on Georgia’s executive government that has been made free of democratic checks and balances through weak Parliamentary oversight and an unofficial pact of no interference and mutual support with an influential group of judges in complete control of the judiciary. Without holding any official position of public accountability, Bidzina Ivanishvili has successfully managed to place key Georgian public institutions, including ones supposed to be independent by law, in the service of his private business interests and security.”
