Georgian President pardons convicted Mtavari Arkhi channel head
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals in November upheld the verdict of the Tbilisi City Court and sentenced Gvaramia to three years and six months in prison.
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Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Thursday pardoned Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi channel, who was convicted last year for improper commercial deals in 2015 and 2019 during his time at the helm of the Rustavi 2 channel.
The Tbilisi Court of Appeals in November upheld the verdict of the Tbilisi City Court and sentenced Gvaramia to three years and six months in prison.
The ruling followed the May 2022 verdict by the latter Court, which sentenced the channel head for two separate episodes in the case, one of which had caused “serious losses” to Rustavi 2 through disadvantageous commercial deals and the other was related to obtaining property through a corrupt deal.
Irakli Garibashvili, the Georgian Prime Minister, on Wednesday said the case involving Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi channel who was convicted last year for improper commercial deals in 2015 and 2019 during his time at the helm of Rustavi 2 channel, was a matter of domestic courts and not the Government.
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.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday denied intentions to pardon the imprisoned former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili or the recently imprisoned Director General of Mtavari Arkhi channel Nika Gvaramia.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said president Salome Zourabichvili would “insult” her office by pardoning Nika Gvaramia, the imprisoned head of the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, following calls by opposition politicians for the move.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel on Thursday said a “positive momentum to reform" had been created by last year's decision by the European Council to grant Georgia a European perspective, and noted the the country’s future was in the European Union.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said calls for President Salome Zourabichvili to pardon Nika Gvaramia, the head of the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, for the benefit of depolarising the domestic political environment meant the authors of the urges should now “take responsibility” for actually ensuring the outcome after the President pardoned the channel founder on Thursday.
Rati Bregadze, the Georgian Justice Minister, on Friday said he saw “no connections” between the pardoning of Nika Gvaramia, the head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, by President Salome Zourabichvili and the country’s efforts to meet the 12 priorities outlined by the European Union last year for granting Georgia its membership candidate status.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said pardoning of Nika Gvaramia, the head of the domestic Mtavari Arkhi TV channel, by President Salome Zourabichvili was a “step taken against” the country’s efforts to fulfil the 12 priorities outlined by the European Union last year for granting Georgia its membership candidate status, including the depolarisation of the political environment in the country.
Charles Michel, the European Council President, on Thursday pledged his body’s support for Georgia’s European integration efforts, saying “much” in the process would be dependent on the country’s implementation of the 12-point conditions outlined by the bloc last year for granting its membership candidate status to Georgia.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Friday pardoned 11 inmates, the Presidential Administration announced.
Rati Ionatamishvili, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday responded to the announcement of Nika Gvaramia, the former Director of the Mtavari TV channel, of his entry into the domestic political scene by saying the former United National Movement official had “never left politics and the party”.