Georgian revenue service inspects opposition-minded TV channel’s advertising company
Head of ruling Georgian Dream party Kobakhidze said earlier in July that the funding of three opposition-minded TV channels had to be investigated due to the ‘imbalance between revenues and expenditures.’ Photo: Netgazeti.ge.
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The Georgian revenue service has started inspecting the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi’s advertising company following the accusations of ruling party head Irakli Kobakhidze that three TV stations are funded with ‘black money.’
Head and founder of Mtavari Arkhi Nika Gvaramia linked the launch of the investigation to an attempt to falsify upcoming elections and noted that other media outlets face the same threat.
In this country silencing the media ends with falsified elections,” said Gvaramia.
He also noted that if the revenue service seizes anything in the advertising company the ‘TV channel will no longer receive revenue.’
The lawyer of the TV station Tamta Muradashvili said that the planned inspection of the sales company had to be conducted after one year.
The Georgian revenue service released a statement yesterday regarding the issue and noted that the body ‘constantly conducts scheduled tax audits of taxpayers.’
Statement also reads that an additional 500 taxpayers were selected by the revenue service in July including the advertising agency of Matavri Arkhi, ‘which together with other entrepreneurial entities provides services to this TV station.’
The revenue service stated that this measure is a standard procedure, which studies the possible risks and completes the procedure if the relevant risks do not exist.
It also noted that tax audit is implemented only remotely and ‘does not restrict taxpayer’s activity in any way.’
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili stated in his Facebook post that this inspection will start and end without any unnecessary inconvenience to the taxpayer.
He stated that the revenue service has an automated electronic system that evaluates companies based on dozens of different risk criteria and assigns appropriate scores based on which a list of enterprises to be inspected is generated.
Khutsishvili also explained that the tax audit order for the advertising company was issued on July 23 and the taxpayer opened the notice on July 27.
Head of ruling Georgian Dream party Kobakhidze said earlier in July that the funding of three opposition-minded TV channels had to be investigated due to the ‘imbalance between revenues and expenditures.’
Mtavari Arkhi TV has asked the Prosecutor's Office to launch an investigation into an incident that involved Thea Tsulukiani, the Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia, taking a microphone away from the channel's reporter on Thursday, with a video of the incident going viral on local social media channels.
Prime Minister Garibashvili has called journalists ‘party activists’ earlier today in response to inquiries into whether he would take responsibility for the attacks on journalists at the Tbilisi Pride counter rally on July 5 and leave the post following demands for his resignation from the opposition, NGOs and media representatives. PM Garibashvili responded to journalists’ questions earlier today saying: ‘...unfortunately, TV stations have been transformed into departments of party organisations.’
Journalists, civil activists and politicians have again gathered in front of the parliament building in downtown Tbilisi demanding Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s resignation, following the death of TV Pirveli cameraman Lekso Lashkarava.
Journalists have held a protest in Georgian parliament earlier today demanding the punishment of individuals who attacked journalists at the Tbilisi Pride counter rally on July 5 and the resignation of Prime Minister Garibashvili. Journalists held up a banner ‘punish offenders’ and photos of deceased TV Pirveli cameraman Lekso Lashkarava, who was brutally beaten up by right-wing protesters at the counter rally.
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.
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.