New charges against Gvaramiya indicate oppression of oppositional press in Georgia

Nika Gvaramiya, a former director general of the "Rustavi-2" TV Company, is accused of having bought a Porsche car for 76,700 euros by reducing the cost of advertising on the TV channel. Gvaramiya himself, as well as experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", have linked the new charge with the pressure on free media in Georgia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 9, Nika Gvaramiya was charged under the article on using his service powers for extracting profits, which entailed a significant damage to the company.

Within the investigated criminal case, the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Georgia has put forward an additional charge against Nika Gvaramiya. According to investigators, in this February, at the Porsche Centre, he bought a new Porsche Macan S car for 76,700 for the personal use by his family. A contract was signed to the same amount between the "Prosecco Media LLC" advertising agency and the Porsche Centre assuming that on the air of "Rustavi-2" commercials of the Centre will be screened at "an affordable low price." Thus, Gvaramiya is accused of "abusing his managerial post for extracting profits."

Nika Gvaramiya himself denies his possession of the Porsche Macan S car; according to his version, the new charge is "Bidzina Ivanishvili's revenge and attacks on the media freedom."

The experts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, have also associated the new charge against Gvaramiya with the pressure on media. Thus, Manana Nachkhebiya, the leader of the "New Right-Wingers" Party, said that "this is an attempt to interfere with the work of free and critical media."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 5, 2019 at 00:33 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.