David Kezerashvili issues a formal legal complaint to the BBC regarding its publication in April 2023 on The Milton Group.
“Today I have submitted a formal complaint to the BBC. The claims made in the BBC programme are utterly false. I have nothing whatsoever to do with the Milton Group or any call centre-based fraud.
"I have been, and continue to be, subject to a campaign of harassment, threats, and persecution at the hands of the current Georgian government, as do some of my former government colleagues. It was deeply irresponsible for the BBC to air this programme, which had no proper basis whatsoever to make such wild and serious allegations about me.
"Since the BBC published these lies, the Georgian regime continues to use the programme as a propaganda tool as part of its long-standing smear campaign to slur my reputation in Georgia as a founding member of UNM, founder of the prominent opposition TV channel Formula, and advocate for liberal values in Georgia. This false programme has played straight into the hands of the Georgian regime as it leverages the supposed ‘credibility’ of the BBC to endanger my and my family’s safety, while at the same time failing to scrutinise the Georgian government’s own role in scam call centres, as exposed by multiple independent journalists in Georgia.
"I will not hesitate to take legal action against the BBC in order to defend my reputation.”
17 May 2023
