The U.S. Embassy in Georgia said the U.S. has not imposed sanctions on the Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, and his family members after local media reports surfaced that Ivanishvili’s children abroad had their access to bank accounts blocked.
“The United States has not imposed financial sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili or his immediate family members. The U.S. Department of Treasury makes public all financial sanctions,” the U.S. Embassy told Civil.ge.
On October 2, the opposition-leaning Formula TV, citing a “reliable source,” reported that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s children, who live abroad, have had their access to some bank accounts restricted and some completely blocked. Of Ivanishvili’s four children, three – Uta, Gvantsa, and Bera – have not lived in Georgia for years.
According to Formula, the basis for restricting access to certain transactions or completely blocking access to bank accounts for Ivanishvili’s children was an earlier report by the Georgian service of Voice of America. The report claimed that the U.S. had drafted a sanctions package against Ivanishvili, although VoA did not specify whether or when the U.S. would officially impose sanctions.
On September 16, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four Georgians, including two MIA officials responsible for the violent crackdown on citizens during protests against the Foreign Agents Law and two other radical right-wing individuals – for “serious human rights abuses. The State Department also expanded visa restrictions on Georgian officials responsible for undermining the country’s democracy.
Following this decision, Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze met with U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan and told her that the U.S. had reached “critical limits” by imposing sanctions on Georgian officials and individuals. The day after the meeting, Amb. Dunnigan said that the Georgian government was “isolating Georgia.”
Bidzina Ivanishvili and GD members maintain that he is already under “de facto sanctions,” citing the $2 billion he cannot access due to his lawsuits against Credit Suisse. Ivanishvili attributes these “de-facto sanctions” to an unknown “Global War Party,” a GD-backed conspiracy theory suggesting a secretive global rule. He claims this group wields significant influence over American and European decision-makers.
Also Read:
- 01/10/2024 – Ivanishvili Denies Targeting U.S., Repeats “Global War Party” Conspiracy, Warns of “Reputational Damage”
- 30/09/2024 – Kelly, Kramer Call on U.S. to Sanction Ivanishvili
- 16/07/2024 – Ivanishvili Launches GD Campaign with “Global Party of War” Conspiracy as its Pivot
- 03/05/2024 – PM Kobakhidze Accuses U.S. of Attempting Revolutions, Says Special Efforts Needed to “Restart” Relations