Eliso Chapidze – Registration Date of Golden Com Proves That It Is Corruptive Deal

Journalist Eliso Chapidze, who represents the Coalition “Media for Advocacy”, told the Interpresnews that the name and registration date of the Company Golden Com proves that it was corruptive deal. She said the auction on the management of the Tbilisi TV-Communication Tower was announced 7 days after the Golden Com was registered in the Enterprise Registration Agency. The company is not known on advertising and television market at all. Chapirdze suggests to launch journalistic investigation on the fact. She also believes that independent media-sources will face problems from the new company.

“The increased payment is not the biggest threat in it. The price of live broadcasting will supposedly increase and of course it will have impact on the independent media,” said Chapidze.

The new manager of the Tbilisi TV-Tower is Ltd Golden Com which won the auction announced by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia yesterday and became the manager of the Alfa-Com. Golden Com paid 110 000 GEL for the management of the 100% state share in the Alfa Com for the next 4 years. According to the auction conditions, the new investor is entitled to invest 12 million USD in the TV-Communication Tower that aims to carry out technical re-equipment of the Tower, introduction of new TV-communication services and development of old ones. The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development clarified that as a result of the auction the TV-Tower was not sold at all and the Alfa-Com, whose one of the actives is Tbilisi TV-Tower, was assigned to the Golden Com for 4-year management.

Interpresnews