Businessman Khazaradze presents civic movement Lelo in coastal town of Anaklia
Businessman Mamuka Khazaradze says that the first signal of positive changes in the country will be the return of emigrants. Photo: Radio Liberty/Free Europe.
Tweet 
Share
One of Georgia’s top bankers, Mamuka Khazaradze, who has recently been charged in a high-profile money laundering case, has officially launched a new civic movement in Georgia’s coastal town of Anaklia, located near the Russian-occupied region of Abkhazia.
Khazaradze, who is involved in the construction of the Anaklia Deep-Sea Port, said that unification and advancement of Georgia will start from Anaklia, “which is the gate between Europe and Asia.”
Lelo, the name selected for the movement, is a reference to the traditional Georgian team game Lelo Burti (Lelo ball), which is similar to rugby and also means to score a try in the game.
Khazaradze said that Georgia has failed to overcome poverty and help its economy over the course of the past 30 years, “losing thousands of its people now living in emigration.”
Many in Georgia have lost hope for a better future and are thinking of leaving the country. We must stop this,” he said.
Khazaradze stated that the solution to the situation is to bring professionals together from different fields to “build the country.”
Khazaradze said that many of the people who attended the presentation created success stories. Photo: 1TV.
I want to cite famous Georgian poet Rezo Tabukashvili as saying that the biggest patriotism is professionalism,” Khazaradze said.
He announced the creation of a political party from the civic movement in the coming months and stated that “we are now in search of 12 leaders in all fields.”
We have already launched the process to find 12 leaders, 12 reformers in all fields, in healthcare, in education and others, for them to carry out major changes. The country should never be dependent on a single person, we should all fulfill our roles,” Khazaradze said.
A couple of days ago Khazaradze stated that former head of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association and former representative of the president to parliament Anna Natsvlishvili will be the spokesperson of the new movement.
Khazaradze, who founded leading Georgian commercial TBC Bank 27 years ago, says that he faces an ‘absurd’ charge because of his involvement in the Anaklia port project, and accuses the current Georgian government of creating obstacles for the ‘strategic project disliked by Russia.’
The Georgian Dream leadership strongly opposes the allegations, saying they have done their utmost to help the construction process.
Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia claims that a cyber-attack on the leading Georgian bank TBC was identified and responded to several weeks before the address of bank officials.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Maia Tskitishvili says that there is no connection between the Anaklia deep sea port project and the ongoing money laundering investigation involving the founders of TBC Bank. She says that Anaklia Consortium, had faced problems in attracting funds for the 2.5 billion USD project before the investigation was launched involving TBC Bank.
TBC Bank Founder Mamuka Khazaradze says that he has sent a letter he claimed he received from Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia and which allegedly included threats against him and TBC Bank, to London to be studied, while a copy has been handed to the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office.
Founder of the Georgian leading bank TBC Mamuka Khazaradze has announced his resignation from the bank’s supervisory council amid a row related to a money-laundering case involving him and another top banker at TBC, Badri Japaridze.
Businessman Mamuka Khazaradze, who faces money laundering charges in Georgia, has presented 12 members of the new civic movement, Lelo.
Businessman Mamuka Khazaradze, who has recently entered politics, says that Georgia is in need of new judges as many of the current judges have made politically biased decisions in the past.
A pretrial hearing has been held in the high-profile money-laundering case involving Georgia’s top bankers Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze and a businessman Avto Tsereteli. Both the defence and prosecution have presented their evidence in the case which concerns the possible laundering of $16 million.
The founder of one of Georgia’s leading banks TBC Mamuka Khazaradze, who faces money laundering charges, says that his return to business is “very unlikely,” as he has “big political goals.”
Political unity Lelo for Georgia has demanded the State Inspector’s office investigate the recent murder of 24-year-old Murad Tsurtsumia who died in an incident involving Interior Ministry employee Zurab Popkhadze.
The Lelo for Georgia centrist party, chaired by currently charged co-founders of TBC Bank Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, will not support same-sex marriage, a member of the party, ex-Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili has stated.
Political party Lelo has nominated former MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party Levan Koberidze in Vake constituency of Tbilisi which was a surprise for Elene Khoshtaria – the joint opposition candidate in the constituency in the October parliamentary elections.
Founder of political party Lelo Mamuka Khazaradze has proposed an initiative to make usury punishable by law in Georgia.
Lelo for Georgia political party, which was founded by co-founders of TBC Bank Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, has presented the party list for the October 31 parliamentary elections.
Lelo for Georgia opposition party leader Mamuka Khazaradze says that repeat elections in Georgia are possible in 2022, and not next year as opposition parties are demanding.
Lelo for Georgia opposition party leader Mamuka Khazaradze performed several songs as part of a pre-election campaign in front of the Marjanishvili metro station on September 25. Khazaradze performing Hey Jude – a song by the English rock band the Beatles, and popular Georgian songs with street musicians went viral on social media after the release on Saturday.
The final hearing in a case of alleged money laundering involving founders of TBC Bank and current leaders of the Lelo Opposition party, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, has been postponed to January 11 on the request of the prosecution.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld last year’s verdict of the Tbilisi City Court against Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, the founders of TBC Bank and Lelo opposition party, confirming their fraud in a case dating back to 2008.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Defence Minister Irakli Chikovani on Thursday criticised what they described as a "radical agenda" of the Lelo opposition party, alleging the campaign aimed to target Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party who recently returned to domestic politics as the party’s Honorary Chair.