Former Interior Minister’s citizenship rejected
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, August 20
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili rejected a request from former Interior Minister Kakha Targamadze to grant him Georgian citizenship on August 18.
Targamadze resigned from his post in 2001 following mass protests after the Ministry of Internal Affairs raided Rustavi 2 TV trying to get hold of some financial documents. Targamadze, who was allegedly involved in criminal activities in Georgia, has Russian citizenship and lives in Moscow.
Responding to the decision, Targamadze told the news program Moamde that the United National Movement appears to have backed the solution.
The issue of Targamadze’s citizenship was much speculated on by the United National Movement. According to one of the leaders of the UNM, Akaki Minashvili, Kakha Targamadze appealed to Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani regarding the above-mentioned on July 13, 2014 and Tsulukiani satisfied his intention.
Minashvili called on Margvelashvili not to grant Georgian citizenship to Targamadze.
The majority members also accepted Margvelashvili’s decision. According to Eliso Chapidze from the Georgian Dream, Targamadze did not deserve to receive Georgian citizenship through an exceptional manner.
“He does not have any merit before the country. Thus, he does not deserve the president making an exception for him,” Chapidze said.
