Half Million GEL – Tribute of Businessmen from Kvemo Kartli Region to the National Movement

Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli

In 2010 the businessmen from Kvemo Kartli region transferred 483 000 GEL as a tribute for the municipal elections. Region based 14 companies transferred this money to the National Movement.

12 out of 14 companies never participated in any tenders announced by local or central authorities. So, they did not pay money for the assistance in tenders – like it happened in other regions.

After the armed conflict in 2008, the region based companies started personnel reduction and struggle for survival. So, they could not assist the National Movement according to their own wish because of financial problems.

Because of serious financial collapse after the armed conflict, the local businessmen have not participated in the tenders announced by the local government. For the same reason, the tenders for the introduction of yellow public buses in Rustavi and construction of parks in Gardabani have not finished yet. Nobody has applied for the latter at all.

Most businessmen do not want to speak about the money they have transferred to the National Movement for the elections. The only enterprise, where we were allowed into, was Progress Ltd; in order to get permission for the entrance we choose different strategy.

In other cases, we were informing the guard of the company about the topic of our interview and the administration used to refuse to accept us. So, we changed our strategy with the Progress and told them we wanted to prepare an article about the obstacles of the business companies in Kvemo Kartli region.

The Progress Ltd is very important enterprise. It is a mill-factory which stores wheat and then produces various sorts of wheat flour from it.

The Progress Ltd ranked the second place in the region with the amount of money they transferred to the ruling party (80 000 GEL).

The enterprise director Davit Giligashvili received us for the interview. Despite the harmless purpose of our visit, Giligashvili did not seem happy with our visit. He did not even ask us to have a seat and finished interview in two minutes with a short comment.

“What problems should we have?! None! The armed conflict did not hinder us either; nothing at all. We do not have any complaints about government. Nobody creates problems for us. As for charity activities, we do participate in them but it is not worth speaking,” said Davit Giligashvili who thinks 80 000 GEL he paid to the ruling party is small sum.

Nobody in the region remembers charity activities of this enterprise. The only beneficiary for them, whom they gift money without hesitation is the National Movement.

Local business company Tema Ltd transferred more than Progress Ltd - 100 000 GEL - to the ruling party before the elections.

We could not find the enterprise administration on their official address (Megobrobis Street # 4, Rustavi). Reportedly, the Tema Ltd participates in serious governmental projects like construction of the Supsa Concrete Terminal.