Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze claims that the author of the MEGOBARI Act was paid USD 80,000 to “defame Georgia and spread lies.”
Speaking to journalists about the recent adoption of the US 2026 National Defense Authorization Act— which did not include references to the MEGOBARI Act — Kaladze said the proposed bill had nothing “friendly” in it despite its name.
“There was nothing friendly in that act; it was entirely hostile. All the directives it contained were based on falsehoods and slander. We only heard threats,” Kaladze said.
“As for the author of this act, we know they received USD 80,000 to defame our country and spread lies. Let’s be clear — there are rational people involved. We have repeatedly expressed our readiness to start anew, because the threats and statements made under the previous administration are completely unacceptable to us. We want friendship and partnership, but it must be built on mutual respect,” he added.
The MEGOBARI Act — an acronym for the “Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence” Act — was introduced in the US Congress earlier this year and drew criticism from Georgian officials, who labeled it as politically motivated.
