Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change and one of the founders of Mtavari Arkhi (Main Channel), calls on the founders, requests the public, media, and businessmen to find a solution for Mtavari Arkhi against Ivanishvili’s alleged raider attack through Okuashvili.
“I want to tell you about the events happening at Mtavari Arkhi, or more precisely, about my former partner and one of its founders – Zaza Okuashvili.
Everything started with my entry into politics. I was supposed to resign from the director position to officially register the party, and he was to be appointed as the new director – the person the staff supported: Giorgi Gabunia – one of the most famous journalists, an outstanding intellectual, and the man who managed the organization impeccably during my imprisonment (despite having no previous management experience). Suddenly and vaguely (at that stage), Okuashvili refused my resignation (partner meeting approval was required) and Giorgi’s appointment. The “wrestling” continued for several months, and finally, given the importance of the goal, an agreement was reached: I would appoint “my” director (which I left to the team’s choice), as would Okuashvili and the third major founder. Giorgi Gabunia, Manuchar Akhalaia, and someone named Gogi were appointed. The main mine was that all three signatures were required for any decision, which was also recorded in the charter.
Besides Gogi’s salary, the channel was forced to pay GEL 15,000 monthly to Okuashvili’s wife Nato Chkheidze, who was an MP at the time. When they were rejected due to incompatibility, they demanded an increase in rent for a small building (the rest is no longer theirs, and I’ll elaborate on this later) and thereby effectively assigned a salary to Chkheidze.
Gabunia and Akhalaia were establishing themselves and running the channel despite enormous problems. Gogi, obviously, did nothing – just a cabinet and a salary, that was his only interest.
Elections were approaching. One day, Nato Chkheidze appeared in the party office with a message: “We want three people on the list – me as the fifth number (since you are four leaders), my brother Rostom Chkheidze as the tenth, and someone else in the twenties”. I wasn’t angry, offended, or anything else – my jaw dropped in surprise. It wasn’t surprising that she wanted to be on the list, but three people? And in these positions? She received the same response as would be given to a single request – impossible. Who are you, and from where did you decide that you’re entitled to something? How, because it’s our TV, they said. The TV is not yours, you’re just one of the founders, and, moreover, the TV’s shareholders are not connected to the coalition and are not entitled to anything at all – was my response.
After this began a series of refusals – Gogi was complicating everything, but if Nato Chkheidze’s “rent” and her salary were delayed even for a day, Gogi would appear. Gogi started “audits” on the channel. He received all the documents he requested and got explanations from everyone he asked. All years’ audit reports. He approached the sales house, a separately hired organization that sells advertising (all major TV channels work this way).
Against this background of what they consider blackmail, Okuashvili now reduced his demand to one place on the list – only for Nato. Do you know which Nato Chkheidze this is? The one who, while I was in prison, with her supporters, made the Kotsi elect Justice Council members. If I were to put someone on the list who had made a deal with Bidzina even once, this would not contain even a grain of reality. Obviously – a refusal.
Oh, yes, why did Nato Chkheidze and her supporters vote for Ivanishvili’s candidate? I discovered this after the party’s founding. Recorded. It’s probably known to the public that due to electoral number 4, we took over Nika Machutadze’s party, whose partners were the Chkheidze siblings. They entered the National Movement’s list with this party, and after that shameful voting, all three were expelled together. So, when taking over the accounting, I came across a very interesting document: there was over 300,000 in party tax debt, and a week after voting, almost 200,000 was written off through a tax agreement! Can you imagine any opposition party being granted a tax agreement by the Kotsi?! This is political corruption, at the expense of the homeland’s interests! And I was supposed to put them on the list? Yes, and now they’re sitting in Ivanishvili’s parliament, adding a veneer of legitimacy. They would have negotiated much more, probably now Okuashvili, who is already sending signals to Ivanishvili that he’s ready to trade with Mtavari Arkhi. We know exactly, and the logical development of events also confirms, that Ivanishvili received this signal and responded with consent.
After this began what Ivanishvili did at Rustavi 2 – Gvaramia, Gabunia, and Nakhopia (who isn’t even a founder) bankrupted the company. They covered themselves with my resignation document, which they signed, confirming that I was managing the channel ideally, with no claims whatsoever, bidding me farewell with dithyrambs and thanks. Nakhopia was mentioned because the UNM didn’t put anyone on their list, to their credit.
Then appeared a very familiar question, which Ivanishvili’s prosecutor would ask about the Rustavi 2 case: if there was money, why weren’t you paying taxes, you drove the channel to bankruptcy? We were not just not paying, we could not pay – then the channel should have stopped, and look at Rustavi 2 and Imedi – are they paying taxes? Of course not, and they have restructured every time. We declared taxes fully, and the Kotsi didn’t demand bankruptcy, and Gogi decided we were in bankruptcy conditions. It’s ridiculous for Okuashvili to talk about taxes. A man who accumulated property through unfair tax preferences, which all of Georgia knows.
He submitted an application to the bank that transfers should not be made, claiming that I and Nakhopia are money laundering. He submitted this to the National Bank and TBC. By the way, he had previously tried to create problems for the channel with the Bank of Georgia. Bank of Georgia is the bank whose blackening Okuashvili had demanded from the TV for years – they had a credit dispute. We always responded with a refusal – the TV will not be a tool of revenge and blackmail in the founder’s hands, especially against the largest bank, which could be severely damaged by a black campaign and drag the country’s economy along with it (you know, banks are almost half of Georgia’s economy).
Regarding TBC, it was also a personal settlement matter with Kharazadze and Badri Japaridze. They should not have appeared on air. Moreover, we should have conducted a black campaign against them and the bank, or Kharazadze and Japaridze should have given beneficial testimony in the London Arbitration. He personally requested this from me, and of course, the response was the same as above, a clear refusal.
For fairness, I’ll say that Okuashvili’s contribution to quickly opening the TV is significant. He provided equipment and building on lease (don’t think he brought it into the company). But later it became clear that the real estate was mortgaged and today, apart from outdated, depreciated equipment, nothing remains of his former property for the channel’s use. First, the bank took the pavilions (remember where our broadcasts came from), and now the building where the channel is located is also the bank’s, and we’re only here because Bank of Georgia realizes that evicting the TV would be a grave mistake.
What’s the situation now?
At this moment, this blackmailer Gogi, clearly on Okuashvili’s instructions and now I’m completely sure with a deal with Ivanishvili, is effectively closing the channel. The sales house has sufficient money in the account (from advertising revenue), and due to Gogi’s refusal to sign and the letters submitted to banks and complaints to the prosecutor’s office, they cannot pay employees or make other expenses, including utilities and critically important expenses for TV functioning, without which even broadcasting will be impossible. It’s clear that these players in Ivanishvili’s game (no one else in this country is interested in closing Mtavari Arkhi) are ready for anything. The fact is, apart from one signature, nothing is required from him: not money, not anything else. Only a signature to legally manage legal income.
I call on the founders, I ask the public, media, and businessmen – to find a way out for the channel against Ivanishvili’s raider attack (which will end in closure) through Okuashvili! This is not just their need, but a need for all of us, for our common struggle!
Thank you in advance!
Former founder, former director, former journalist, and permanent and biggest fan of Mtavari Arkhi.
Nika Gvaramia, from Ivanishvili’s prison (and not from London),” writes Nika Gvaramia on Facebook.
