Zaza Bibilashvili, founder of the Chavchavadze Center and a prominent legal expert, has voiced serious concerns about Georgia’s deteriorating investment environment. Speaking on the television program Analytics, Bibilashvili said that recent political developments are sending troubling signals to both local and international investors.
According to him, legislative actions taken by the ruling Georgian Dream party have significantly undermined investor confidence in the rule of law and democratic institutions.
“Local and foreign businessmen know that there is a person in Georgia who will do anything that suits him,” Bibilashvili stated, referring to the growing influence of Georgian Dream founder and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. “When a foreign investor comes in, they ask what is legal, if we write it this way in the contract, does it comply with the law? But no matter what I answer as a lawyer, it can all change tomorrow if one person decides otherwise.”
Bibilashvili emphasized that trust in a country’s political, legal, and judicial stability is critical for attracting long-term investment. Economic indicators, he noted, are not sufficient on their own. “Any serious investor studies not only the numbers but the governance and legal system. When those systems become unpredictable or are subject to the whims of one individual, investors look elsewhere.”
He further criticized the country’s key institutions, the parliament, judiciary, and executive, for acting as mere extensions of Ivanishvili’s will. “The laws recently passed by the so-called parliament follow a single pattern: Bidzina Ivanishvili does whatever he pleases. If he claims someone owes him money, he declares that person must be enslaved until the last tetri is returned. If anyone helps them, they too must face prison. Whether it’s parliament, the courts, or government ministries, they are all just tools used to carry out his personal agenda.”
Bibilashvili’s remarks reflect growing alarm among civil society leaders and legal experts over the state of democratic governance in Georgia. His assessment raises urgent questions about the country’s future as a reliable and secure destination for investment.
