Bail set at 40,000 GEL for former Rustavi 2 head
Linking the charges against him with his critical attitude to the ruling Georgian Dream party chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili, Gvaramia saya he will fight till the end. Photo: IPN
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Bail has been set at 40,000 GEL for former director general of opposition-minded TV channel Rustavi 2, Nika Gvaramia, who stands accused of abuse of power during his time in the position.
Gvaramia also has been banned from leaving the country without the consent of prosecutors, who had demanded bail be set at 80,000 GEL.
Gvaramia denies the charges and refuses to pay bail, saying he would rather prefer to be imprisoned. Before the court hearing last night, he insisted to be either released or imprisoned.
He has one month to post bail.
Despite the court verdict, Gvaramia thinks this situation is “rather profitable” for him, as “everyone will understand” now that he, as the founder of the opposition-minded television, is indeed being persecuted on political grounds to restrict his freedom of expression.
Gvaramia, who was dismissed on July 18 following the Euroepan Court of Human Rights verdict in the Rustavi 2 ownership dispute, has announced that he plans to open a new television company.
The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office officially charged Gvaramia with abuse of power on August 9. The next court hearing has been set on September 30.
The former Director General of opposition-minded TV channel Rustavi 2, Nika Gvaramia, has been charged with abuse of power. The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office announced yesterday that due to Gvaramia’s actions Rustavi 2 suffered losses of 6,763,510 GEL (about $2,308,365/€2,062,045).
Paata Salia, the new director general of Rustavi 2, says the channel has certain financial problems. After meeting with the staff of Rustavi 2, Salia said the channel’s financial situation was ‘worse than expected.’He said it is important to find ways to “solve the financial problems”.
The Georgian Public Registry Agency has registered the shares of Rustavi 2 in the name of its former owner Kibar Khalvashi after today’s verdict of the European Court of Human Rights. Khalvashi’s lawyer addressed the agency to introduce changes in the Rustavi 2 registration document as the ECHR upheld the verdicts of the Georgians courts and allowed the return of 100 percent of shares of the channel to Khalvashi.
Former owner of Rustavi 2 Kibar Khalvashi has stated that the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights on Rustavi 2 has dispelled all doubts regarding the channel’s ownership, confirming that the ‘only lawful owner of the TV is me.’ He said that he has no plans to get involved in the editorial policy of the channel,
New Rustavi 2 owner Kibar Khalvashi has decided not to sell the TV station, and instead will try to bring the channel out of debt.
Former Director General of Rustavi 2 Nika Gvaramia, who previously served as the country’s minister of justice, has been summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office to be charged with the misspending of the funds of the channel which was returned to its former owner in July.
Ex-Director General of Rustavi 2 TV channel, Georgia’s former minister of justice and education, Nika Gvaramia will face additional charges regarding the funds of the TV channel he used to head.
Tbilisi City Court has allowed the seizure of real estate of Rustavi 2 TV channel, according to the demand of the founders of the channel David Dvali and Jarji Akimidze. Back in 2019 the same court ruled that 60 per cent of shares of the TV channel be frozen after the founders filed a lawsuit against current owner Kibal Khalvashi. Khalvashi, who stated his shares were illegally confiscated under the United National Movement leadership back in 2006, won the ownership dispute in the European Court of Human Rights in July 2019.
Georgian prosecutor Zviad Gubeladze who is working on Rustavi 2 case says that the ex-head of the TV channel Nika Gvaramia’s guilt in the case of the misuse of the TV station's funds back in 2015 is proved by the testimony of the company’s accountant. Former director general of Rustavi 2 Nika Gvaramia along with former financial director of the TV company Kakhaber Damenia and head of LTD Intermedia Plus Zurab Iashvili were charged with misspending of funds, bribery and fabrication of documents after the Rustavi 2 was returned to its former owner Kibar Khalvashi in July 2019.
The Georgian State Security Service (SSS) has told director general of the opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi channel, Nika Gvaramia, a former official under the United National Movement (UNM) government, to ‘strengthen personal security’ as allegedly a hit has been put out against him. Deputy Head of the Counterterrorism Centre of the SSS Bacha Mgeladze stated earlier today that along with Gvaramia, one other journalist has received a similar warning and that the agency is investigating the case.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) mayoral candidates in Kareli and Chiatura regions, Zaza Guliashvili and Givi Modebadze, have filed a lawsuit in Tbilisi City Court against the opposition-minded Mtavari-Arkhi TV channel and its head Nika Gvaramia for spreading fake information about them.
Tbilisi City Court on Monday sentenced Nika Gvaramia, the founder of Mtavari Arkhi channel and former Director of Rustavi 2 channel, to 3.6 years in prison on charges of embezzlement, commercial bribery, forgery and money laundering in a case relating to his time in the latter media outlet.