Ivanishvili’s regime has turned Georgia into a crypto-laundering center for Russian and Iranian blood money - Lasha Parulava

Lasha Parulava, a member of the interim governing council of the United National Movement, stated that the government bears responsibility for the crypto-sphere and free economic zones operating in Georgia.

According to him, “Ivanishvili’s regime has turned Georgia into a crypto-laundering center for Russian and Iranian blood money.”

“Today, we have reached the point where the US has sanctioned an Iranian company related to Ivanishvili, registered in the Gldani free economic zone, for activities related to supporting terrorism. This is a matter of Georgia’s name and reputation, which has never sunk so low,” Parulava said at a briefing.

According to him, since the crypto sphere has been regulated by the National Bank since 2023, the responsibility for the current situation lies, among others, with the President of the National Bank, Natia Turnava.

According to Parulava, the crypto mining carried out in Gldani, which he said is linked to Bidzina Ivanishvili and Giorgi Bachiashvili, brought them billions of dollars in income, while the population paid for the corresponding expenses with increased electricity tariffs.

“Now the same free economic zone, where such a business was registered, has also found itself in the context of financial activities related to supporting terrorism,” he said.

According to Parulava, cases related to Russian and Iranian money, sanctions, financial schemes related to terrorism, and fraudulent call centers in Georgia are damaging the country’s reputation.

“This is the real price of Ivanishvili’s Georgia: they are getting richer, while Georgia is losing its reputation,” Parulava said.

According to him, the ruling party and Natia Turnava are responsible for the current situation and “will definitely be held accountable for this, along with the conductor of this regime.”