Activities Started Without Tender

Reconstruction of Old City of Batumi should finish before December 31, 2009. 25 million GEL is allocated for the purpose. The activities have already started though without tender. “Bazplastic” and “Anagi” are carrying out the activities in Old Batumi. Zaza Gogotishvili, single mandate member of the Supreme Council of Adjara Autonomous Republic is the owner of the Company “Bazplastic.”

According to the documents the reconstruction should have started on March 1, 2009 and finished on December 31 2009. Despite the dates indicated in the project, the activities started in January 2009. Press-service department of Batumi City Hall stated that “tender has not been announced on the activities. The City Hall is implementing the activities based on the negotiations.” It must be pointed out that 5 million GEL is allocated from the budget for the activities. It is unclear what the advantages of the companies “Bazplastic” and “Anagi” were while selection. The press-center of the City Hall does not make comments on the fact.

Human Rights Center tried to get in touch with Zaza Gogotishvili but in vain he does not reply the phone calls.

There is only budget for the reconstruction of the Old Batumi and it demonstrates exact sum for each activity: “planning activities – 600 000 GEL; roofing of the buildings – 3, 8 million GEL…”

Opposition members of the Batumi municipality board doubt that the funds are distributed incorrectly. “It is strange that the program and budget were written from the top to the bottom. I mean, they are starting from 25 million GEL and then going to the least amount of money. Each box on the document contains the figure ending with double zeros. It causes our doubts,” said Temur Kurashvili from Republic Party.

Members of opposition parties state that initially budget of old Batumi appeared in Batumi municipality board and then program was submitted. Kurashvili stated that “at the end of last year when the discussion of the budget finished suddenly 25 million GEL appeared in the budget for the reconstruction of Old Batumi. When we demanded the program they said it would be in January of 2009. It is strange that they requested the funds for the reconstruction from the central budget without knowing how much would be spent on the activities – 25, 30 or 32 million GEL. When you are asking for funding you should have calculated everything. However, it had no meaning for the reconstruction of Old Batumi.”