Former Deputy Minister of Justice Sued at Prosecutor’s office

Natia Danelishvili, Information Center of Kakheti

The rehabilitation resort Akhtala in Kakheti was halted. Vazha Panchulidze, owner of the company Terex 21, which implemented rehabilitation activities, said funds envisaged in the project budget were unreasonably wasted. He added that before elections, former deputy Minister of Justice Giorgi Tskhakaia ordered them to implement improvident activities for the President’s visit.

The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili visited the ongoing rehabilitation activities in the resort Akhtala on September 18 – 12, days before the parliamentary elections of October 1, 2012.

“Rehabilitation activities were hindered in Akhtala because of rude governmental officials’ interference. More precisely, we carried out many activities in the resort with the direct involvement of Giorgi Tskhakaia. We worked very hard in order to open the resort before the President’s visit before elections. We paved asphalt on unprepared cover which caused hundreds thousand lari damage to our company. We had to repeatedly conduct tasks because everything was done in poor quality due to haste. Tskhakaia promised that they would reflect all extra expenditures for extra work in the project budget but nothing has been changed so far. Our expenditure has not been reimbursed yet. This materially damages the company. 2.5million lari was allocated for the rehabilitation of Akhtala resort but based on Tskhakaia’s requests, there has been half million lari increase. We have already petitioned the prosecutor’s office regarding Tskhakaia’s activities,” Vazha Panchulidze told ICK.

Because of unimplemented duties, bank accounts of the company Terex 21 were seized and the company cannot pay salaries to the workers employed at the rehabilitation resort of Akhtala. Workers request their salaries and unless their request is satisfied, they intend to paralyze the working process in the facility located in the resort territory.

“We will lock the door and not allow anybody to enter,” the workers said.

“We are owed 20 lari per day. We worked from August 29 to November 7 but they paid only 300 lari; some of us have not received anything at all. The administration said their accounts were seized and cannot pay salaries until the issue is resolved. We signed labor agreements but they did not give a copy to us. They owe salaries to 60 people,” worker Giorgi Metreveli told ICK.

“The Deputy Minister of Regional Development arrived here two weeks ago. We informed him about our problems in regard to salaries. He promised to help us but there is no news yet. The bank accounts are still sequestered and we do not receive salaries. We are not guilty of anything. I have to take at least 1000 lari. Some of us have to take 500-600 lari; some have to receive even 3 000 lari. All of us have debts in banks and shops; we worked here to resolve our financial problems,” employee Vano Kalabegashvili said.

The Director of the company Terex 21 said they will pay salaries to workers by all means. “We have already reached agreement on the increase of the budget with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the activities implemented by us will be reflected in the project. We hope this problem will be resolved in several weeks and we will be able to distribute salaries,” Vazha Panchulidze said.

ICK could not call Giorgi Tskhakaia. The prosecutor’s office has started an investigation under Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Georgia – abuse of power.