Administration of “Kakhetis Energodistributsia” Stand Accused of Abusing Power

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Former employees of JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia now demand that the company administration covers their salary arrears. Natalia Nibladze, Zaur Mghebrishvili and other former employees of Kakhetis Energodistributsia have lodged an appeal in Telavi District Court. The judge upheld the appeal and ordered that JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia be forced to pay the salary arrears. However, the JSC is facing bankruptcy proceedings and as a result the Kakheti Executive Bureau can not execute the court decision and force the company to pay the judgment on the arrears.

The case on JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia facing bankruptacy was launched based on Telavi District Court judgment dated August 22nd, 2005. Giorgi Shashurishvili, the representative of the Telavi Tax Inspection addressed the court on July 26th, 2005 and stated that the JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia had gone bankrupt. “Based on the situation we have on July 26th, 2005 we can say that the JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia owes the state budget 5,858 800 GEL. Apart from Telavi Tax Inspection, Kakhetis Energodistributsia also owes much money to other creditors. The company property is valued at 2,752, 483 GEL. Regardless, this value still does not cover all the company’s outstanding debts” – a quote from the Tax Inspection’s statement related to bankruptcy.

After having opened a case on bankruptcy proceedings, Zurab Janjghava, the manager of JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia still dismissed many employees. Zaur Mghebrishvili was among them. He requested that the company paid his salary arrears on numerous occasions. However, his pleas were rejected and on February 20, 2007 Zaur Mghebrishvili proceeded to lodge an appeal in Telavi District Court with the demand that the company paid his 1,696 GEL salary arrears. Natela Jashiashvili, a judge satisfied the appellant’s appeal and ordered that the company paid the money to Mghebrishvili.

Natalia Nibladze, the former employee of JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia lodged a similar appeal this one was also satisfied.  Though the court ordered that the company paid the salary arrears the court decision has still not been executed. The Executive Bureau of the Ministry of Justice informed Nibladze that the execution process regarding her appeal is stopped until bankrupt proceedings facing the JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia are concluded

Natalia states, “I was dismissed from Kakhetis Energodistributsia Gurjaani service Center so that I had not used my vacation and did not receive any compensation. The company administration dismissed me on the grounds of company’s financial problems. This is when the energy selling was going according to the plan. Moreover, the incomes exceeded the preliminary estimated amount of money in receipts. Nonetheless, the administration still has not paid us our salaries. When the court ordered that the company be forced to pay my money Davit Suliashvili, the lawyer of Kakhetis Energodistributsia told me that the company would give me my money as soon as the bankruptcy proceedings were concluded. That was three years ago and the bankruptcy proceedings are still going-on and nobody is in control of the process. I and the former cashier of this organization can assure you that JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia is a profitable company. The energy expenses are compensated and the company has other incomes as well. This is proved by the fact that the high ranking employees in Gurjaani Service Center and as in other offices as far as I know received a rather substantial bonuses in 2007. I think that the bankruptcy proceedings have been intentionally procrastinated.”

Zurab Dighmelashvili, the head of JSC Kakhetis Energodistributsia denies the accusations of the former employees of the company. He stated that the bankruptcy proceedings will be over in several months and probably the former employees will receive their salaries at this time.