Giorgi Kavlashvili: Murtaz Zodelava Participated in the Purchase of Burji

Interpresnews

Director of the Ltd Gama Giorgi Kavlashvili spoke about details of the purchase of Company Burji and stated that procedures were implemented by instructions of the chief prosecutor of Georgia Murtaz Zodelava.

Kavlashvili spoke about purchase details of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s company Burji in his interview with Radio Obiektivi.

“I met chief prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava who said there was a company whose owners wished me to be their representative as a company director. I cannot say that he forced me to do something or anybody threatened me. Simply, I did not risk to express my position and did not refuse to participate in this process,” Kavlashvili said.

He said the Company Gama did not pay 8 761 513 lari fixed by the auction as a price of the Ltd Burji.

“The resolution stated that 8 761 513 lari was paid for Burji Ltd. However, Gama did not pay the money in fact,” Kavlashvili noted.

Company Gama purchased the property of the sequestered company Burji at the auction for 8 761 513 lari in August of 2012. The property was sequestered by the State Audit Office. Giorgi Kavlashvili is groom of Levan Bezhashvili, former head of SAO.

Besides that, Kavlashvili was one of the large donators of the United National Movement. On August 1, 2012 he donated 50 000 lari to the party.

In summer of 2012, court found Bidzina Ivanishvilis’ company Burji illegal donator for having rented transport means to the political parties within the Coalition Georgian Dream and fined it with more than 10 million lari. On July 26, National Bureau of Enforcement put the Burji Company on auction. On the same day, Civil Registration Agency registered a new company Ltd Gama and it purchased Burji’s property for 8 761 513 lari on August 2.

It is noteworthy that Giorgi Kavlashvili’s name was linked with the argument about TV-Company Pirveli Stereo too. When its founder Davit Zilpimiani was fired from the position of the TV-Company’s director and Vasil Kobaidze replaced him, Kavlashvili was sent to the Pirveli Stereo to meet Kobaidze’s representatives.

Giorgi Kavlashvili said he was put in charge of the company, which was registered in off-shore zone and he was mentioned as a director in the company documents.

“I cannot say that I have information about origin of this off-shore company or about any of its founders; I have not seen any of them. The auction was finished when I was appointed as a director of this company and I received enforcement resolution as a inherit which stated that Ltd Gama had participated in the auction where Ltd Burji’s property was sold; its realization aimed to cover the fines which were imposed on Buji by the authority because of various violations. The resolution also stated that it owned immovable property, movable property – vehicles and transportation means. According to the document, 8 761 513 lari was paid for the property,” Kavlashvili said.

He said he had not paid the sum as Gama’s director and representative. According to Kavlashvili, when he asked about the money, he was told the founders had paid it though he has not seen relevant documents to prove the payment.

Kavlashvili said he had received repeated note that “their purpose was to realize properties received by auctions,” but he had no instructions about running the sums and could not independently make decisions on funds.

Kavlashvili said he was waiting for farther instructions from chief prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava because he did not contact anybody else.

“I was sure, I would receive instructions from the chief prosecutor about funds and future fate of the company,” Kavlashvili said.

In addition to that, according to the newspaper Resonansi, chief prosecutor Murtaz Zodelava has left Georgia.

“Giorgi Kavlashvili shames his profession of a lawyer,” said Thea Tsulukiani, candidate for the position of the minister of justice, told journalists on October 12.

“I have not seen program of Obiektivi but Kavlashvili is the lawyer, who has always shamed his profession– I can loudly declare it. He is specialist of signing plea-agreements, making deals and affair settlement. So, nobody got surprised when he was involved in the case of Burji and in many other cases which are associated with injustice by society. So, it is regrettable that lawyer is connected with public injustice whilst he could act in the contrary. In this view, I am not surprised with his statements. It looked like an attempt of self-preservation. However, in any case, Georgian Dream has declared several times that justice and law will be executed equally for everybody and we will not use selective justice with regard to certain people. So, fair judiciary system will find out who committed the crime and when and what they have done to establish injustice in the society; though we do not yet have fair judiciary but we will definitely have it,” Thea Tsulukiani said.

Giorgi Kavlashvili told Obiektivi that during events about Burji he was acting in accordance to Murtaz Zodelava’s instructions.