The United States is preparing sanctions against former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili as concerns mount over his role in deepening ties with Russia and steering the country away from its democratic path, according to two U.S. government sources who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity.
U.S. officials say Ivanishvili’s alleged actions benefit Russian interests and undermine Georgia's aspirations to join the European Union and NATO.
“We have information that Ivanishvili undertook actions to develop relations with Russian oligarchs, took actions to enable Russia to gain better access to the Georgian market. In fact, he, took some actions at the direction of the Russian intelligence services,” a senior U.S. official told VOA’s Georgian service on the condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of discussing the sanctions.
Ivanishvili, 68, a billionaire who amassed his fortune in Russia during the 1990s, remains a deeply influential figure in Georgia despite having abandoned formal politics in 2013. He resides in a palace overlooking Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and rarely appears in public. His extravagant lifestyle, including a shark tank in his palace, a zoo in his hometown and a love for trees, has earned him the nickname “James Bond of Georgia” and captured the attention of international media.
The political party that Ivanishvili founded, Georgian Dream, has held power in the country since 2012, and some observers say he continues to make key political decisions from behind the scenes.
According to Giorgi Gakharia, a former Georgian Dream member who served as Georgia’s prime minister from September 2019 until February 2021, when he resigned and went into opposition, Ivanishvili is still involved in all major political and economic decisions.
“Ivanishvili is managing all kind of issues on strategic as well as tactical levels,” Gakharia, who now leads the For Georgia party, told VOA. “He's involved directly in [economic and] political issues. Everything going on in the country [at] this,moment is around and about Ivanishvili.”
Another opposition politician, Giga Bokeria of the Federalist Party, says Ivanishvili has been at the center of the Georgian government’s move the country in a pro-Russian, anti-Western direction.
“He the one who steered from the very beginning this campaign of demonizing the West as a threat to Georgia's security and identity, that the West and in particular the U.S. uses Georgians as pawns in their interests, and that, in order to survive, we must accept Russian security dominance in our region,” Bokeria told VOA. “And, under that pretext, he has facilitated Russian infiltration into the Georgian economy, security structures and political life and targeted pro-Western institutions and his political opponents.”
Bokeria added that while the looming sanctions against Ivanishvili are a justified and necessary step, a more strategic U.S. approach, one that strengthens Georgia as a key Western stronghold in the region, is needed.
“While it's ultimately the responsibility of Georgian society to defeat this regime, the problem with U.S. policy towards Georgia is that it remains reactionary, lacking a clear, proactive strategy. The U.S. should target all Russian allies and enemies of liberty more comprehensively, while combining this approach with a broader vision to make Georgia a stronghold for projecting Western power in the region.”
The U.S. sanctions targeting Ivanishvili fall under Executive Order 14024, on “Blocking Property With Respect To Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation,” signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
“Executive Order 14024 has broad authorities to designate individuals who engage in, behaviors that undermine democratic institutions, democratic values, engage in transnational corruption,” the senior U.S. official, speaking on background, told VOA. “There is a whole range of activities that, if they are found to be benefiting the Russian Federation, those are sanctioned.”
When and if sanctions are imposed on Ivanishvili, his assets within U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen, and American citizens and companies will be prohibited from doing business with him. The sanctions would also cut Ivanishvili off from the global financial system, given that many international institutions follow U.S. regulations in order to avoid secondary sanctions. In addition to asset freezes, visa restrictions could be implemented, limiting Ivanishvili’s access to global banking services and ability to travel outside of Georgia.