Parliamentary Human Rights Committee Chair rejects political persecution claims over TV channel founder sentencing
“I do not think there is a reason for anyone to talk about political persecution. [The issue] is politically sensitive, because Gvaramia's activities are political in nature. Consequently, this raises political sensitivities, but does not mean that in a given situation anyone can speak about political persecution. It has been convincingly explained that there was an offence [in Gvaramia’s case] which the court found to be a crime,” the Committee Chair said. Photo: Parliament of Georgia.
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Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chairman of the Georgian Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, on Monday rejected claims of political persecution in the sentencing of Nika Gvaramia, the founder of Mtavari Arkhi channel and former Director of Rustavi 2 channel, by the Tbilisi City Court on charges of embezzlement, commercial bribery, forgery and money laundering.
Sarjveladze made the comment following claims by Gvaramia’s supporters and members of the political opposition, who alleged political motives in the sentencing of the head of the opposition-minded channel, delivered earlier on Monday.
“I do not think there is a reason for anyone to talk about political persecution. [The issue] is politically sensitive, because Gvaramia's activities are political in nature. Consequently, this raises political sensitivities, but does not mean that in a given situation anyone can speak about political persecution. It has been convincingly explained that there was an offence [in Gvaramia’s case] which the court found to be a crime,” the Committee Chair said.
Tbilisi City Court on Monday sentenced Gvaramia to 3.6 years in prison on the charges relating to his time heading the Rustavi 2 channel.
The sentencing follows 2020 charges against Gvaramia by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, with Kakha Damenia, the former Financial Director of Rustavi 2, and Zurab Iashvili, the Director of Inter Media Plus, also sought for indictment in the case, the Georgian Public Broadcasting said.
The latter has been acquitted by the Court of commercial bribery and forgery in the case.
Tbilisi City Court has rejected the claim of two founders of Rustavi 2 TV, David Dvali and Jarji Akimidze, against the channel’s current owner to regain 60% of the company's shares. After today’s trial one of the founders Jarji Akimidze said that he was ‘shocked’ by the verdict, stating that it ‘will definitely be appealed.’
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.
David Dvali and Jarji Akimidze, the founders of Rustavi 2 TV channel in 1994, have filed a lawsuit against the current owner Kibar Khalvashi after Khalvashi won the channel ownership dispute at the European Court of Human Rights back in July 2019. Dvali and Akimidze say that their 60 per cent of the shares were also illegally confiscated by the previous United National Movement government in 2004 and Khalvashi was involved in the process.
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.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has said it will appeal the Tbilisi City Court’s decision to change the qualification in its sentencing of Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the Mtavari Arkhi channel and former General Director of the Rustavi 2 channel, after the delivery of the verdict on Monday.
The judiciary in Georgia is independent of political processes and court decisions bear no political impact, Levan Davitashvili, the Georgian Economy Minister and Vice Prime Minister, said on Monday following claims by supporters of Nika Gvaramia, the former Rustavi 2 channel Director, of persecution following his sentencing by Tbilisi City Court for abuse of powers.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the Government would “do its best” to protect the principle of the rule of law, which he called “one of the main European values”.
The verdict of the Tbilisi City Court, which this week sentenced Nika Gvaramia, the founder of Mtavari Arkhi channel, to three years and six months in prison, means the actions of the former Rustavi 2 channel Director are “no longer presumed,” Georgian Vice Prime Minister and Culture Minister Thea Tsulukiani said on Wednesday.