Company Badagoni suspended operation of both wine factories

Reginfo.ge

Investigative unit of the Ministry of Finances started probe in unlawful appropriation of the share by the Company Badagoni. The investigation started based on the application of the representative of the company Gracoro Trading Limited”, which was former share-holder in the Badagoni. The investigative activities were carried out in Tbilisi, the office of the Company as well as in their wine-factory, in Upper Khodasheni village, Akhmeta municipality.

After the investigative unit of the Ministry of Finances entered the wine company Badagoni, their wine factories in Upper Khodasheni village and in Manavi village, Sagarejo municipality stopped working. The company owner Giorgi Salakaia said they will not resume operation until the investigation activities are over.

The investigators entered the head office of Badagoni based on the appeal of the former shareholder in the company Vladimer Janjgava, citizen of Russia and representative of the Gracoro Trading Limited. Janjgava states his assets were misappropriated. 

Janjgava’s advocate Imeda Dvalidze clarified that for years Badagoni received main funding from the Gracoro Trading Limited. Vladimer Janjgava is the real owner of the Gracoro Trading Limited, though he has registered his assets on the father-in-law and wife. The lawyer said Janjgava really assigned his 60% share in the Badagoni to Salakaia but there was verbal agreement, which Salakaia did not fulfil. 

“Vladimer Janjgava invested 20 million USD in the Company Badagoni. Nobody will believe that the person, who invested 20 million USD in the company, would sell the share for 50 000 USD, which is not paid either. It was formal agreement, this deal relied on mutual trust but was not fulfilled afterwards,” Dvalidze told Rustavi 2.

On his side, the founder of Badagoni Giorgi Salakaia states former MP Davit Bezhuashvili is standing behind Janjgava, who is interested to get hold of the company and he contacted Janjgava for this purpose. 

Giorgi Salakaia said they were intimidated before 2012 parliamentary elections too, when tax inspection entered Badagoni. Salakaia added that Davit Bezhuashvili supervised this process then and the tax inspection was instructed to make the owners give up the shares. Giorgi Salakaia said in 2014, the Badagoni purchased 60% share from the company Gracoro Trading Limited and the documents were signed in accordance to the law. 

“Today, when the company is leader, I can confirm it with figures – we are on the top of 250 companies, which export Georgian wine abroad; when the company became interesting for concrete persons, they started fight with this methods, which are familiar to them and cannot think of better ideas. I want to name the persons, who are interested in all this process. I want to underline that this action has only one purpose – certain people want to get hold of the company. This person is Davit Bezhuashvili, who is now so called MP or businessman. He is the man who since 2016 tries to get hold of Badagoni. It is absurd for me to give up and go to the meeting with Mr. Bezhuashvili. It will not happen,” Salakaia said.

Zaza Khatiashvili (former head of the Georgian Bar Association) is the advocate of the Company Badagoni. He said they will use all legal methods to defend the company. “Everybody will learn in the world that business environment in Georgia was destroyed by these unfortunate police officers and prosecutors,” Khatiashvili said.

Investigative unit of the Ministry of Finances is investigating the alleged violation under Article 182 Part III – b of the Criminal Code of Georgia which refers to unlawful appropriation or embezzlement of another person's property. As the statement of the investigative body reads, the investigation activities are carried out in the head office of the Badagoni LTD and not in the enterprises. Consequently, the investigation does not hinder their activities. 

The Badagoni Company is one of the largest wine-producing companies in Georgia. In 2017, Badagoni ranked the top place among 250 wine-exporting companies in Georgia. According to their information, last year realization of their wine increased at 35%. 

Original articles on Reginfo.ge:

• Company Badagoni suspended operation of both wine fatories 
• Allegedly Davit Bezhuashvili wants to get hold of Badagoni again – Giorgi Salakaia