David Khidasheli sold "Rike Amphoras" for 10 million GEL with a GEL 20 million investment obligation - the businessman himself told BM. GE about this.
Khidasheli, who purchased the property in 2022, was supposed to invest at least GEL 20 million within 36 months and organize a museum of wine, digital art and technology, as well as exhibition and conference spaces on the territory. The businessman's deadline was to expire on May 12, after which he would have to forcibly return the property to the state.
Khidasheli wrote in a statement released on May 6, that due to the unstable investment environment, he was unable to attract investors.
"I purchased the Rike wine amphoras at an open state auction, where I intended to establish a museum dedicated to the historical territories of Georgia. This museum was meant to become a space for the permanent exhibition of more than 250 unique maps, which I donated entirely free of charge to the Georgian state. Also planned for that space were a World Wine Museum and various other technological hubs.
Unfortunately, for various reasons—including the inability to attract other investments besides our own, due to an unstable investment climate—this endeavor was also not fully realized, and today the Rike amphoras have already been sold.
The investment activity of myself and my family members in Georgia has been reduced to a minimum, but this in no way means that we love our homeland any less. Of course, in the future we will still try to implement many beneficial projects as much as we can.
I also feel it is necessary to state:
- I am not, and have never been, a participant in political processes or a representative of political interests;
- My so-called “business activities in Russia” ended more than ten years ago, and since then I have had no connections with Russia. Accusations about ties with Russia are completely false;
- My activities are fully distanced from both internal and external political confrontations;
- Any defamatory attempts to use my name for political gain are completely unacceptable", - Khidasheli writes in a letter.
