Finance Ministry denies investigating Tbilisi City Hall finances

The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia has denied launching a financial investigation of Tbilisi City Hall.

This morning Tbilisi City Hall officials announced the Investigation Service had launched an investigation into the finances of five divisions of the Tbilisi municipality.

Tbilisi deputy Mayor Irakli Abesadze said the Government was eager to put "political pressure on professional people who work at City Hall”.

"The Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance has launched an investigation of the Tbilisi City Hall’s executive bodies aimed to get rid of the political opponents before the forthcoming local elections this summer,” Abesadze said.

Georgia's Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri denied the accusations.

He said the Investigation Service had been undertaking an investigation into the City Hall's contractor companies’ as there were issues relating to "embezzlement of state funds”.

"The Investigation Service has done and will do financial [checks] on these kinds of companies. This is a fiscal investigation and has no other aim than to return back the stolen budget funds.”

The Investigation Service released a statement claiming it has been conducting a financial investigation into companies that had been doing work for Tbilisi City Hall.

The Service called Tbilisi City Hall to refrain from spreading false information.