Who Owned Georgia English.pdf

uling party leader in the region warned, “If you don’t give usyour harvest voluntarily, we’ll take it away.” 261 According tothe Public Defender, Maisuradze was arrested illegally with thepurpose to deprive him of his property. Local authorities yielded72 tons of wheat for themselves 262 . Although the wheat was laterreturned, nobody was held accountable for the theft. 500 tonswere subsequently stolen, provoking a confrontation betweenMaisuradze and Saltvisi-2, the company whose combineshad come to haul the wheat away. Police arrived but did notintervene, stating they were ordered not to. 263One asset of particular interest to the former government wasGori’s Mill Combinate (officially Forte Ltd.) which was valued atapproximately 500,000 GEL making it one of the largest enterprisesin the region. But unlike other valuable properties, Forte didn’tend up in the hands of the state. On December 15, 2004, Forte’sfour owners, Mirian Okroshiashvili, Giorgi Ortanezashvili, VasilKhitiashvili and Merab Datviashvili, transferred their sharesto Lemise Company Ltd., a private company that had beenestablished 13 days prior to the handover. 264The story of Lemise is a post Rose Revolution example of howa company appears out of nowhere, gobbles up state propertyfor cheap, turns it over for sizable profits, grows, and goes on toprovide lucrative services for the government.Lemise was officially established with a total charter capitalof a mere 2000 GEL by Sergi Kakalashvili, Giorgi Kapanadze andGiorgi Okroshiashvili 265 , although Kapanadze is owner by name261 Ombudsman about Nodar Maisuradze’s Case http://www.ombudsman.ge/index.php?page=1001&lang=0&id=293 Accessed 05/12/2012262 Ibid263 Minister’s Friend - A Studio Monitor Investigation. Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xDdy5M2WrI Accessed 05/12/2012264 Ibid265 Public Registry. Ministry of Justice of Georgia https://enreg.reestri.gov.ge/main.php?c=app&m=view_doc&doc_id=32319 p.4 Accessed on 12/12/201266