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Gurjaani Municipality Gamgebeli Does Not Have High Education

February 21, 2007

picb1.gifNon-governmental organization, Human Rights Centre, has brought suit at the Gurjaani District Court against the district Municipality. The suitor demands to abolish the December 8, 2006 resolution of the Municipality according to which Ramaz Kerechashvili was appointed to the position of Gamgebeli (governor). (photo: Ramaz Kerechashvili )

On December 8, 2006 members of the Gurjaani Municipality elected the Gamgebeli at the closed meeting. Closed meeting made the people a bit suspicious. They wondered what the municipality did not want to make publish and what was going on there. Later on, everything became clear. Ramaz Kerechashvili has not received higher education at all. Under the November 17, 2006 resolution of the Municipality Gamgebeli must have received high education, at least he must have a bachelor degree. The resolution has registration code, which was registered at the State Registration Department within the Georgian Ministry of Justice.  The lawyers defined that the resolution was normative act and the municipality could not violate it.

Although, the resolution was drawn up by municipality members, they did not follow the demands. When electing Kerechashvili for the position of Gamgebeli, none of the municipality members voted against him at the meeting. Those municipality members, who cannot express their opinion openly, said that they obeyed the orders of the regional governor and officials from the Chancellery.

The Chairman of the Municipality did not comment the fact with us. “He has written and published some mess about me, as if I am illiterate, so I am not going to give an interview to him,” said Zurab Kheviashvili about the journalist for the Human Rights Center. Kheviashvili is a veterinarian and had not worked anywhere before he was appointed to the position of the Municipality Chairman.

Deputy Chairman of the Municipality, Aleksandre Sirbilashvili, said that he did not know whether the Gamgebeli did not have high education. “Roman Eliozashvili, the chief of the Municipality Administration, gave us the information about the candidate. At that time, none of us doubted that he had no higher education and we voted for him. I do not care about his education and that is all. If someone abused his/her power, the legal commission within the Municipality was responsible to react on it,” said Sirbilashvili.

According to the legal commission members, Sirbilashvili is a member of the commission bureau and he was responsible to look through the documents of the candidate. However, Sirbilashvili did not check the documents at all.

The Human Rights Centre demanded information about the education and working experience of the gamgebeli from the Gurjaani Municipality early in January, in vain. “The Gamgebeli keeps your application on his table. Thus, you should apply to him or to the head of the administration for the answer. You should take in consideration that the Gamgebeli is a respectable person,” representatives of the Human Rights Centre were answered at the Municipality.

Vasil Utiashvili, the chief of the Administration, who was appointed to this position several days ago, said that he was not responsible for his predecessor’s behavior.

The Human Rights Centre got in touch with Kerechashvili regarding the blocking of public information. “Why are you so much interested in my education?” said Gamgebeli and added that he was busy to avoid answers.

“Ramaz Kerechashvili should not ask such questions because he is a gamgebeli and not an inn-owner. District residents should have information about their gamgebeli’s education, or how he bought a mobile phone for 2 000 lari. Or where has 10 000 lari disappeared that was transferred to the account of one of the private organizations before the president made his famous statement (the president fired several district gamgebelis for having luxurious cars)? Any kind public information is always blocked whenever you demand,” said Tamar Makharasvhili, a correspondent for regional newspaper “Imedi.”
  
According to the current information, which was checked by public officials, Kerechashvili left one of Tbilisi secondary schools in 1990 and entered one of the commercial institutes on the same year, which he graduated from in 1992. It is strange how “respectable” gamgebeli received a higher education in economics during two years, as he declared himself.

They say in Gurjaani that Kerechashvili is appointing uneducated and disqualified personnel in the Municipality and other governmental bodies.  “He does not appreciate education and experience of a person while selecting the stuff. If you are a cattleman, you will be appointed to a high position, but you should be a member of the national party,” said the people who were fired from their jobs.

District court has accepted the suit of the non-governmental organization. The judge will discuss the appeal next week.

  Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

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