Badri Bitsadze, head of the Border Police, announced his resignation on October 29, claiming that a campaign to discredit the agency was underway because he is the husband of former Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze.

Bitsadze said that a series of arrests of alleged corrupt border guards was part of this campaign. “At the same time, Border Police funding has almost halved,” he said.

“I do not want to link all these developments to the former parliamentary chairperson’s political activities, but unfortunately, an analysis of [recent developments] indicates this to be the case,” Bitsadze said. “I also want to state that there has not been any demand for or pressure on me [to resign].”

The Border Police comes under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.