Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday said he and his family had “never used the state budget” to finance their travel expenses.
In comments that followed controversy around Garibashvili’s August trip to the United States with his son - which some domestic media alleged had been funded with expenses from state funds - he claimed “not a single cent” had been spent from the budget on the travels.
Garibashvili added he was “from a well-off family” and stressed the income of his family was “transparent” and reflected in formal declarations.
After I graduated from the university, even before politics, I worked with the richest man in this country in reference to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and managed the richest fund Cartu Charity Foundation. My family has never been in poverty”, he said.
