Saakashvili’s former residence accused of illegally using gas

Thousands of dollars of natural gas has been illegally used by the Saakashvili's administration, the Energy Ministry claims.

A special press conference, led by Deputy Energetic Minister Ilia Eloshvili and KazTransGas company representatives, revealed the ex-Presidents Avlabari residence had illegally used the gas supply for years.

But a former Administration official adamantly disputed the facts and said the case was "nonsense.

At todays press conference, the Deputy Minister claimed during a regular check, KazTransGas staff discovered a gas pipe had bypassed the meter and illegally connected to the ex-Presidential Palace.

Eloshvili suggested the Palace had used the illegal gas supply since the day it was built. The pipe provided fuel for the dining-hall and auxiliary facilities of the main building.

It was estimated that the residence could have consumed between 5,000 to 6,000 GEL a month of natural gas.

Eloshvili said the building had been sealed and they were working to determine how much gas was inappropriately used and calculate the exact fine.

The fine is meant to be paid by the State Provision Agency of Georgia.

Meanwhile the former Head of the ex-Presidents Administration, Andro Barnovi, said this accusation was "nonsense. He said this was the first time he had heard about this allegation.

"Just ask yourself a question: why would the administration have done this, Barnovi said.

In light of this revelation, KazTransGas planned to check the gas supply to other luxury villas across Georgia.

The Presidents Palace in Avlabari, the oldest part of Tbilisi, was built over a four year period, from 2004 to 2009. The budget for the Palace was a heavily discussed topic within Georgian media and oppositional parties. According to the officials, during the first 4 years the Government spent nearly 40 million USD on the Palace building. However some oppositional newspapers claimed this was more likely to be around 800 million USD.