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EPP calls for removal of Cartu bank bank from SWIFT

02 მაი 202510:13
3 წუთის საკითხავი
 
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The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament, has adopted a new resolution on Georgia at its convention in Seville, Spain calling for sweeping sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili and his allies, including the removal of his Cartu Bank from international financial systems.

The resolution urges EU member states and partners to impose personal sanctions on Ivanishvili and his family members, freeze their assets in the EU, and initiate steps to disconnect Cartu Bank from the SWIFT network and Visa/MasterCard systems. The EPP also calls for sectoral sanctions on businesses supporting Ivanishvili’s regime, particularly those linked to copper and non-ferrous metals.

Cartu Bank, founded in 1996 and closely linked to Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, has long been seen as a key financial vehicle for his influence. Though officially owned by his family members, including his son Uta Ivanishvili, the bank is widely viewed as under his direct control. Critics allege that Cartu Bank plays a central role in financing regime-friendly businesses and propping up the ruling Georgian Dream party. The European People's Party resolution specifically targets the bank for removal from international financial systems—SWIFT, Visa, and MasterCard—citing its role in enabling Ivanishvili’s political and economic network.
Condemning the Georgian Dream government’s deepening authoritarianism and alignment with Russia, the EPP demands the “immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners” and an end to the use of repressive legislation against citizens. It calls on Georgian Dream to commit to holding free, fair, and competitive parliamentary elections under independent institutions, including a politically neutral Central Election Commission.

The resolution also calls for coordinated bilateral personal sanctions against officials and political leaders responsible for democratic backsliding, election fraud, human rights violations, and the persecution of opposition figures and activists. It urges the inclusion of judges issuing politically motivated rulings, law enforcement officers, financial enablers, and media owners aligned with the regime.


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