US blocks four Georgian officials from entering country over corruption -Blinken

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department on Wednesday blocked four Georgian judicial officials from entering the country due to their involvement in “significant corruption,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Blinken named the officials as Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Irakli Shengelia and Valerian Tsertsvadze.

“These individuals abused their positions as court Chairmen and members of Georgia’s High Council of Justice,” Blinken said, adding that Washington would continue to stand with Georgians in support of democracy, the rule of law and accountability.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Rami Ayyub)