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Government Targets Kavkasia and Terrorism of Business Continues

July 8, 2008

Eka Kevanishvili, Tbilisi

TV-company Kavkasia has only one way out, which is to ask for financial assistance  from the viewing audience in order to survive and to continue its existence. It appears that the government has not left any other option for the struggling TV-company: businesspersons who used to air their ads on Kavkasia have been since invited to financial police and pressure has been applied. Demands have been made for them to stop advertising their businesses via this TV-company.

Consequently, and in light of such a concerted effort, this TV-company will likely go bankrupt. However, the fact that the ads were ceased on the channel did not come as a surprise to the administration or to the viewing audience.  Kavkasia, especially after the events of the November 7, 2007, was the one and only TV station that publicized the news without hard editing on the level of censorship. 

The impartiality and professionalism displayed by Kavkasia is rather often discussed and sometimes criticized in the mass media and among representatives of civil society.  However, this is the separate topic for further discussion. It is noteworthy that during the terrible event of November of 2007 that Kavkasia is perceived by the population as having best represented the demand of Georgian society. This means that people openly talked about current events on live air kand in an open forum, which allowed various political opposition parties as well as individuals to freely express their views on live-TV. Nonetheless, representatives of the government decided, with few exception, to be seen on air on Kavkasia, as its representatives thought that the station’s programming did live up to their high professional standards, at least this is how the Kavkasia administration explained why representatives of the government did not want to take part in their talk shows.

Kavkasia was the first media source that openly spoke out about the government’s reign of terror towards businesspersons. It was because of this free expression that the businesspersons have no option but to distance themselves from the TV-company and stop paying for commercial advertising. However, this does not mean that solely Kavkasia is experiencing such a problem: regional media outlets face similar problems, which have recentlybecome more vivid than ever before. The names of the businesspersons who were invited to the financial police for discussion are still unknown. However, Nino Jangirashvili and Davit Aqubardia, the management/owners of Kavkasia furtherstate that some of the intimidated businesspersons are ready to openly appear in public should it be considered as necessary.

These businesspersons were invited by end of June to the financial police and then ordered to cease airing their advertisements on Kavkasia TV.  If not, they were then threatened with consequences; they were even told that they would face various problems. The so-called negotiations were held by high-ranking representatives of the financial police. However, in spite of the body of information and alleged facts, the management of Kavkasia has declined to give the names those concrete high-ranking officials as they want to keep the names of the terrorized businesspersons in confidence. 

TV-company Kavkasia informed that the financial police have a long list of companies that have been cooperating with Kavkasia. Some companies are crossed out with red ink and some are just ticked-off. During a press conference, the TV-company administration stated that the businesspersons had been told by the representatives of the financial police that TV-company Kavkasia would face financial problems. Moreover, Davit Aqubardia, stated that the Minister of Finance called the information false.

On having asked why the businesspersons were forced to cease advertising on Kavkasia, the President of Georgia said that “Kavkasia has flourished recently and has become a very successful program.  I think this statement does not need be commented upon, as it speaks for itself.”

Kavkasia’s management  states that at present Kavkasia does not belong to only 1 or 2 people; they consider that the station is the property of all of Georgian society since Kavkasia is the only media source that is not yet under the controlled of the government.

A quote from the statement of Kavkasia administration: “The 2007 November events showed that the government is capable of doing everything in its power to destroy TV-companies, and it has taken aim.  Unofficially, however, the government representatives are saying directly in private discussions that they want to destroy the TV-company Kavkasia. We would like to tell each and every person and tell them that we feel as we have never felt before how the continued existence of Kavkasia is essential for Georgian society. We are now addressing the government and demanding from it that it stops pressuring businesspersons. However, we also think that the businesspersons should be left with the discretion to decide what is better for their businesses on their own accord.”

There is only one way out of the situation: Kavkasia must receive financial support from the viewing audience in order to continue its work. However, how to obtain concrete funding sources are not known at this time.  The TV-company administration will establish Kavkasia foundation/fund and everyone who wants to help Kavkasia out with donations will be able to transact money on the fund’s special account. Presumably, it is expected that many people will want to fund Kavkasia. As many spectators and others who have been on our live programs have expressed their desire to do so and told on Kavkasia’s live aired programs.

Originally, this article was to have been finished at this point.  However, later Human Rights Center’s office was visited by a representative of a well known Ltd. This person suggested a scheme with which the government squashes businesspersons. Probably that the businesspersons that used to advertise in Kavkasia were often squashed by using such a scheme:

“Suppose the company had some business order, the company fulfilled it and there is 12,000 GEL on the company account. One day you go to the bank and find 4,000 GEL there instead of 12,000, 8,000 GEL disappeared.  You then go to the financial police, as the motive is that you have some tax arrears and therefore the money, which the company owes, has been taken from your bank account. However, this legal action only when the Ltd. has some actual financial arrears).  When the motive is groundless and then you become interested where your money has disappeared to and then you go about trying to find out where.”

Our respondent, who can not name his Ltd. for well-known reasons, tells that the Ltd accountant had been visiting officials in the Tax Department with various documents for 40 minutes in order to try find out the origin of the virtual debt that has been assessed the company. However, the accountant only received vague, general answers and at last one official tired of her questions told her at last: "there were elections in the country, and consequently you have some debts and so please now leave my office.”

Everything is clear after this kind of answer: the government spent much money from the budget during the election period than it had expected, and now it is trying to make up for its losses by taking money from corporate accounts.  Nobody dares to protest actively, as the protest might be followed by a closer inspection of their businesses. If the government wants it can “find” any kind of violations for each and every company in Georgia.

However, in spite of such allegations, the financial police are now restraining from making any kind of comment. Rusudan Donadze, head of the Public Relations Department of Financial Police calls Davit Aqubardia’s accusations as being slanderous. Moreover, she states that Kavkasia can have an official answer to their allegations only when they send a letter accordng to proper procedures to government structures with a concrete request.

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