"Bidzina's Law," the latest White Paper by Robert Amsterdam, details the case of George Bachiashvili and the alleged state capture of the country's institutions by ruling party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili.

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Democracy in Georgia is at a "critical juncture," according to a major new report, which was launched at a public event in London earlier this week.

In this new white paper titled "Bidzina's Law: The State Capture of Georgia," Robert Amsterdam, the international lawyer representing George Bachiashvili, highlights how Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili has weaponized the Georgian judicial system to target his political and personal opponents, infringing on due process and rule of law, and driving Georgia away from its European aspirations.

The white paper presents the issue of eroding judicial independence through the lens of the case brought against Ivanishvili's former employee, George Bachiashvili, to expose a larger problem of state capture taking place throughout the country. Bachiashvili faces criminal charges related to a cryptocurrency investment from more seven years ago - charges which Amsterdam insists are "wholly false and unsubstantiated."

The publication of the white paper on the Bachiashvili comes on the heels of Georgian Dream's decision to re-introduce a Russian-style "foreign agents" law, which prompted widespread street protests in the capital Tbilisi in late April.

"Through this foreign agents law and persecutory cases like the attack on Bachiashvili, Ivanishvili is dragging Georgia away from the path of Euro-Atlantic integration and toward a much darker future that will more closely resemble the authoritarian vagaries of Vladimir Putin's Russia, where the state apparatus is routinely used to settle personal scores and silence political opposition," said Amsterdam.

The white paper notes that this case is unique and historic in that it is the first time that Ivanishvili is the direct claimant before the courts, meaning he would have to step forward and testify and be cross examined on a wide range of issues. Amsterdam argues that the Western response to this case and to Ivanishvili's attacks on democratic governance should be met with a stronger response.

"Through their continued inaction, all of Georgia's Western allies are allowing Ivanishvili to buy control of Georgia and turn it into his personal fiefdom. We must act with determination, along with the overwhelming public will of the Georgian people, to halt this farce," said Amsterdam. "The Georgian Dream party is creating a nightmare for the Georgian people as their hard-won democracy is being corrupted and overthrown by greed and the personal ambitions of the richest man in Georgia."

The white paper, "Bidzina's Law," can be downloaded at robertamsterdam.com and amsterdamandpartners.com.

Robert Amsterdam is the founding partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, an international law firm with offices in London and Washington DC.

James Kimer
President
Media Theory
jk@mediatheory.com

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SOURCE Amsterdam & Partners LLP