Georgia freezes accounts of football star Kaladze

Georgia has frozen the bank accounts of the opposition politician and former football star Kakha Kaladze in a money-laundering investigation, his lawyer said Friday.

"We have been told by the Tbilisi City Court that an investigation is under way into possible money laundering via Kaladze's accounts," lawyer Shalva Tadumadze told AFP.

"All his accounts are frozen, but so far my client has not been officially charged with any wrongdoing whatsoever," he added.

Twice winner of the Champions League with Italy's AC Milan, 34-year-old Kaladze will run for parliament this autumn with the Georgian Dream opposition coalition led by billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Vowing to defeat Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement governing party, the coalition has revitalised Georgia's fractured opposition forces.

Opinion polls however suggest that Georgian Dream is trailing the ruling party.