Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State spoke about sanctioning Georgian judges. He noted that they have reliable information that these persons were involved in significant corruption.
Patel pointed out, from the beginning, the American people, as a sign of solidarity, stood by the Georgian people and their desire to be a free, sovereign country within its internationally recognized borders.
“Over the past 30 years, we have become strategic partners, working together on a shared vision for Georgia to fully integrate into the Euro-Atlantic family. Specifically, with the decision we announced yesterday, we have reliable information that these individuals have been involved in significant corruption related to their current and former judicial positions. This corruption undermined the rule of law in Georgia and undermined democratic processes. It damaged public trust in democratic institutions and officials of Georgia. As we said before, the information is obtained from various sources, including open sources, and we have very reliable information to believe that there was significant involvement in corruption,” he stated.
