The scandal around Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Georgia PM and founder of the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has hit a new level. On May 10th Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the Georgian Dream, while commenting on Ivanishvili’s re-emergence in Georgian politics and the issue of international court decision in favour of the former PM and against the Swiss bank, did not rule out that the delay in transfer of money by the Swiss bank may be the result of "coordinated actions" aimed at involving Georgia in the war in Ukraine.

Kobakhidze did not specify what he meant by "coordinated actions" and said that he could not provide more information more due to political responsibility. "I saw the statement and I think these questions are legitimate. We see some coordination and that coordination that raises questions is probably logical. To our surprise, the statements made by the Ukrainian authorities were incomprehensible to a high degree of coordination. We remember the illogical decision of the President of Ukraine to recall the ambassador, and here, too, there seemed to be coordination, there were other cases, illogical events. Evtushenkov's call is also incomprehensible - a man is not subject to sanctions, he has to have a reason for it, he makes the call and then this call is a one-month topic for UNM-affiliated TV stations. A fictional topic with an incomprehensible call, this also indicates communication. Add to this the fact that the Swiss banking system has enjoyed a high degree of credibility for decades, and when a bank delays a one-month transfer, it raises additional questions. I do not know what the reason for this is, if someone has such an attempt to bring Bidzina Ivanishvili back into Georgian politics against his will, in order for the country to get involved in the war, I think it is at least unacceptable and wrong. If someone makes such an attempt, he does not know Bidzina Ivanishvili well," Kobakhidze said.

Ivanishvili is suing the Swiss bank Credit Suisse for the second time. According to a report released by Ivanishvili’s PR team, the bank delayed operations in the Green Vals Trust, which was set up by Credit Suisse to protect the interests of beneficiaries and provide the necessary funds, thereby causing significant financial losses to Ivanishvili. According to the statement, the lawsuit arose as a result of a serious breach of trustee obligations to manage the assets of the beneficiaries and a disregard for the legitimate interests of the client.

"On March 4, 2022, the beneficiaries demanded the payment of the amount, which was approved by the guardian only on April 4, 2022, which caused financial damage to the beneficiaries. The guardian referred to the ‘geopolitical environment in Eastern Europe’ to justify the delay. The beneficiaries had nothing to do with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and were not subject to any sanctions. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister of Georgia, has dual citizenship only with France and Georgia, is not and cannot be linked to the list of sanctioned organisations and individuals. This information is publicly available, but the trustee has not been able to verify this publicly known information in a timely manner, and it is likely that Mr. Ivanishvili is a victim of not only discrimination but also a campaign of political pressure from the bank," the statement said.

According to Victor Kipiani, a senior partner of the law firm of the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, MKD Law, there is no connection between the lawsuits filed against the Credit Suisse banking group and the delays in bank transfers. According to his statement on the dispute against Credit Suisse, it is about the damage that Ivanishvili suffered as a result of serious structural violations in the activities of the Swiss bank, and he demands compensation for this damage. 

These developments taking place following Ivanishvili’s earlier successful lawsuit against the Swiss Bank and amplified rumours that he might be holding a rare conference to prepare for his return to the politics. While unrealistic, the talks nevertheless show the ruling party is worried that the former leader might fall under US sanctions.