The Georgian government says a charity controlled by the incumbent president is ready to write off debts of 600,000 people in what has been described as an attempt to bribe off voters ahead of a runoff in next week’s presidential election.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said in a statement on Monday that the charitable foundation controlled by President Bidzina Ivanishvili will buy an estimated 1.5 billion lari ($563 million) of bad loans from individuals around the country.
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Voters in the South Caucasus nation will go to polls next Wednesday to cast their ballots in the runoff. One of the candidates has been endorsed by Ivanishvili’s party.
Ivanishvili’s opponents say the debt offer is an attempt to bribe voters ahead of the election.
