Embattled TBC Bank Chief Testifies to Threats from Interior Minister
Speaking in front of the Parliament Committee on Finance and Budget, embattled founder and Board Chair of the TBC Bank said he received written threats from the Minister of Interior Giorgi Gakharia.
“Ahead of the second round of [the Presidential] elections, I received a letter from one of the high-ranking officials, which contained threats, direct threats, that they would destroy our reputation both here and on the international arena. I was very surprised, that this was a written down, rather than told to us orally. There were also demands, which we did not fulfill, of course…you know what happened next,” Khazaradze said.
Asked to clarify who the letter came from, Khazaradze said “the letter was from the Minister of Interior, Giorgi Gakharia.”
Mamuka Khazaradze and his deputy were forced to step down from TBC Bank Board of Supervisors, after the National Bank of Georgia and the Prosecution have leveled accusations of “actions contradicting the conflict of interest legislation” in one of the transactions dating back to 2008. Khazaradze retains his position as the Board Chair of TBC Bank Group PLC, the parent company to TBC, registered in the UK.
The ruling party MPs have impeded the hearings of the Parliament’s Economy and Economic Policy Committee on February 26, which was supposed to hear Khazaradze.
For details, refer to our archive on TBC Bank affair.
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