Ex-Gov't leaders questioned by Prosecutor’s Office

Two high-profile ex-Government Ministers are being questioned today by the country’s law enforcement agency.

The ex-Minister of Education and the ex-Minister of Economy have been summoned to appear at the Chief Prosecutor’s Office today.

Dimitri Shashkin, the country’s former Education Minister, wrote on his Facebook page that he was summoned to be at the Prosecutor’s Office at 11am uploaded a photocopy of the notice he was sent about being questioned.

At this stage it is unclear what Shashkin will be questioned about.

The country’s former Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze and founder of the Free University of Georgia has been summoned to appear at 11am to be questioned as a witness.

The Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia stated Bendukidze would questioned about his role in connection with privatization of a large amount of real estate which was at the balance of the Agrarian University.

"By privatizing a large amount of real estate on the balance of the Georgian State Agrarian University, obligations under the Law on State Property of Georgia were ignored and by reorganising the State Agrarian University as a non-commercial legal entity, property of 14 research institutes around Georgia were registered at the balance of the Agrometi Ltd with reduced cost of the capital,” reads the statement of the Prosecutor General’s office.

It also said Agrometi Ltd privatized real estate with 8 million GEL investment obligations while the value of the real estate included in the equity capital reached 65 million GEL, and market value was more than several hundred million GEL.

"For instance, only a small part of the privatized estate, which is 59 acres of land, was valued at more than ten million while they have indicated in the capital 59 000 Georgian Laris (1 square meter = approximately 10 Tetris)”, the statement read.

In addition, Lasha Gotsiridze from the State Agrarian Unviersity has been questioned by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office for hours. He was allegedly questioned about the privatization process.

The investigation is continuing and a number of people face possible charges of embezzlement of state property.