Court of Appeal announces Qibar Khalvashi is legal owner of Rustavi 2

The Court of Appeals of Georgia has released its verdict about who owns Rustavi 2 private broadcasting company.

Today the Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling by Tbilisi City Court, which ruled the only legal owner of 100 percent shares of the private TV company was Qibar Khalvashi, the channel’s former owner.

The Court of Appeals verdict stated 60 percent of the company’s shares would go directly to Khalvashi while the remaining 40 percent must be registered under the name Panorama LTD, which is a company owned by Khalvashi.

Moments after the verdict was announced, the defendants (the current owners of Rustavi 2) said they "did not expect more” from the "judges controlled by Georgia’s ex-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and the current Government of Georgia”. 

The TV channel’s director Nika Gvaramia, Rustavi 2 lawyers, members of United National Movement (UNM) and Free Democrats political parties and those supporting the broadcaster’s current management accused the court process as being "politically motivated” and the verdict would harm Georgia’s image prior to the October 8 Parliamentary Elections, and negatively affect Georgia’s visa liberalisation with the European Union (EU).

Meanwhile Georgia’s Minister of Energy and head of the ruling Georgian Dream Democratic Georgia (GDDG) party election staff, Kakha Kaladze, said the Rustavi 2 ownership debate was a dispute between the current and former owners of the TV station and the Government had no influence or involvement in the court’s "independent verdict.” 

Kaladze stressed some "bankrupt political parties” were trying to use the case and criticize authorities prior to the Parliamentary Elections "to somehow raise their low ratings”. 

He added the ongoing dispute about the TV station was "not in the Government’s interests”, especially in the pre-election period as cases like this generated much public opinion and speculation. He stressed a resolution must be reached between the former and current owners of Rustavi 2 and the Government had no reason or lever to get involved. 

Meanwhile a survey published by non-governmental organisation Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) said Rustavi 2 had many owners in recent years and the deals surrounding the change of ownership were controversial.

Between 2004 and 2012, ownership of Rustavi 2 changed approximately 20 times, often in controversial deals that had a political flavour involving people with close links to [then] president Mikheil Saakashvili and to officials of the UNM-led government,” stated TI Georgia.

Discussion about the ownership of Rustavi 2 came to light when Khalvashi filed a lawsuit on August 4, 2015 to "claim back his shares” in the media company.

At a press conference next day Khalvashi's lawyers said their client had purchased the broadcasting company for $7 million USD in 2004 but was forced under strong pressure of the Saakashvili-led government and ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili to concede the property to a new owner in December 2006.

Khalvashi moved to Germany in 2009 after he was granted political asylum. 

Lawyers on behalf of Rustavi 2 said they would appeal the Court of Appeal’s verdict in the Supreme Court of Georgia.