Who Owned Georgia English.pdf

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If the authorities had wanted, they (Akimidze and Dvali) couldhave lost everything,” Kitsmarishvili said. 12Akimidze believes the authorities wanted him and DavitDvali to hand over their controlling block of shares. “Thesenegotiations (to buy our shares in Rustavi 2) ended when ErosiKitsmarishvili declared the station bankrupt. We were obliged togive up our 60% controlling block of shares and register them toKibar Khalvashi, who we first met at Ginturi’s Bureau, to sign theagreement (to buy the shares) 13 .”Kitsmarishvili, however, claims he had been cooking thebooks and the authorities at the time offered him a way out ofhis legal difficulties by arranging a settlement that would havebenefited Zurab Adeishvili, the Minister of State Security at thattime, Irakli Chubinishvili, Chief of Administration at that time,and Saakashvili, who was looking for a government friendlytelevision station. 14Responding to these allegations in a story in the New Yorker,Saakashvili said curtly, “Money is the main thing for Erosi.” 15Kitsmarashvili, Dvali and Akimidze sold their shares toKhalvashi in July, 2004. Nika Tabatidze, who had become theDeputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, still held the remaining10%. 16Khalvashi had close ties to Irakli Okruashvili, who wasDefense Minister. In an interview with Nino Zuriashvili,Khalvashi stated, “I found myself in the media business becausethe authorities thought that media was necessary to control toimpose its power. Government representatives contacted me andasked if I was interested in getting involved in this business. Iconsidered that proposal, with its positive and negative sides and12 Ibid13 Ibid14 Ibid15 Ibid16 Ibid10
decided to get involved. I didn’t know why those people soldtheir shares and why they got rid of their business; I just boughtout their shares. 17 ”From this moment, Rustavi 2 began to lose its reputation as the“winning people’s television.” The 60 Minutes investigative newsprogram was cancelled after Khalvashi’s arrival. He explainedthat he had instructed his staff to ease up on negative reportsregarding the authorities and present them in a better light, butthis wasn’t enough. “Sometimes the president’s administrationwould directly get involved in the station’s activities 18 ,” he added.When a group of wrestlers clashed with police in 2005 duringa protest against the detention of <strong>Georgia</strong>n judo champion, GiorgiRevazishvili, and the <strong>Georgia</strong>n Wrestling Federation President,Aleko Davitashvili and his brother David, Rustavi 2 was there tocover it live. Khalvashi claims he got calls from the president’sadministration complaining of his negative coverage. Saakashvili,he says, called him an “enemy of the country.” 19Nevertheless, Khalvashi remained at Rustavi 2 untilhis friend Irakli Okruashvili was removed from the post ofMinister of Defense, declined the mercy offering of Minister ofEconomy and Sustainable Development and turned against thegovernment. Khalvashi said that Giorgi Arveladze, who was partof Saakashvili’s cabinet, told him that it had been decided thathe and parliamentarian David Bezhuashvili and “another person”were going to be the owners of Rustavi 2, Mze TV and 1st StereoTV. 20 “After this, I was bluntly advised that if I gave up my sharesof the TV stations, I would be supported by the authorities,”recalls Khalvashi. 2117 Ibid18 Ibid19 Ibid20 Ibid21 Ibid11
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTIONOne day shopping with m
Page 7 and 8: closely affiliated to Eduard Shevar
Page 10 and 11: news to the Autonomous Republic of
Page 14 and 15: Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, who was
Page 16 and 17: Kakhi Beqauri and Eldar Mdinaradze.
Page 18 and 19: oadcasting 39 but sold the frequenc
Page 20 and 21: He went on to say that later that d
Page 22 and 23: with Russia, which sent the nation
Page 24 and 25: Irakli Okruashvili case in Septembe
Page 26 and 27: them in the street. They took trans
Page 28 and 29: Maestro contends the dishes were pa
Page 30 and 31: In the meantime, Chikovani has rema
Page 32 and 33: General Media arrived in early 2011
Page 34 and 35: merger of the Caucasus Network, Geo
Page 36 and 37: In cases when the owner of a busine
Page 38 and 39: the shares and LLC Investico Allian
Page 40 and 41: 38WHO OWNED OUTDOOR ADVERTISING?Whe
Page 42 and 43: The latest Civil registry entry has
Page 44 and 45: On September 12, 2011, JSC Adprojec
Page 46 and 47: ut we are only partly correct. The
Page 48 and 49: estaurants to confiscate documents
Page 50 and 51: Delta Holding, the football (soccer
Page 52 and 53: A PHARMACEUTICAL OLIGOPOLY“Why ar
Page 54 and 55: to construct manufacturing sites an
Page 56 and 57: A loan from the European Bank for R
Page 58 and 59: People’s Pharmacy, a small pharma
Page 60 and 61: the large import/distributors and r
Page 62 and 63:
that the decrease could be their sh
Page 64 and 65:
Kvadimax, Enozid H, Musitroli, Amta
Page 66 and 67:
64IT’S CALLED DEVELOPMENTIn 2002
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uling party leader in the region wa
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Federation. The Georgian prosecutor
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went to Argilstone Investment and 4
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(10%). 290 Like Lemise, Interplast
Page 76 and 77:
then buying it back from that group
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elonged to Kapital Vostok, a Swiss
Page 80 and 81:
a fantasy settlement just south of
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made quite a profit, as Sairme is i
Page 84 and 85:
and the Tbilisi Development Fund, t
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land from the Fund along Aghmashene
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On December 24th, the economy minis
Page 90 and 91:
had never been properly notified. 3
Page 92 and 93:
In 2009, Stanton was renamed GeoPro
Page 94 and 95:
Tkibuli is a derelict post-Soviet i
Page 96 and 97:
POSTSCRIPTWhen Georgians went to th
Page 98 and 99:
While Rustavi 2 was passing through
Page 100 and 101:
On October 5, Maestro TV and Global
Page 102:
and further reasons why foreign inv
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