State Audit Office Studies Ten-Lari Donation

Inga Gvasalia, Poti

Poor people donate several dozen thousand lari to the ruling party – National Movement and the State Audit Office does not pay attention to it. However, the latter is observing donations to other political parties and imposes sanctions on them immediately.

SAO fights against donators of the Georgian Dream with particular severity and seizes and sells their properties. Properties of both large and small donators are seized equally. Head of Georgian Dream’s election administration in Poti Beso Jojua faced this problem.

Beso Jojua ordered an advertising subtitle in the cable TV-station which announced time and place of Eka Beselia’s presentation as a majoritarian candidate of the Georgian Dream in Poti. He paid ten lari for the advertisement that became ground for the SAO to get interested in his personality and Jojua was summoned as a witness to find out the origin of the donated ten lari.

Beso Jojua was to appear at the State Audit Office on August 28 but as he told Human Rights Center, he could not go there because election precincts were staffed on that day throughout Georgia including Poti and his presence at the polling station was necessary. He officially applied to the SAO and requested to postpone the term.

“It is ridiculous that State Audit Office got interested in the origin of my ten lari. I think the government and its subordinate institutions try to scare people but I do not think Georgian people are coward and October 1 will prove it. I will arrive at the SAO together with my lawyer as soon as I receive a summon and prove the origin of that ten lari. Donation to desirable political party and candidate is acceptable and legal in any civilized and democratic country. State Audit Office did not study donation of inadequate sums to the ruling party but they got interested in my ten lari.”

Head of Eka Beselia’s election HQ Lili Gelashvili said it is cynic of the SAO to get interested in Jojua’s ten lari. “Why do they think that people living in Poti cannot have enough income to pay ten lari?! Do they think everybody is impoverished here?! How could they summon a person for ten-lari donation – why should they start investigation to estimate whether person had enough income to donate ten lari to the Georgian Dream? I am asking this question to the government.”

Lili Gelashvili added that they [government] will not hinder voters to demonstrate their will [on the Election Day]: “With similar activities government is eager to scare people who have not made their final decision yet. They tell them – do not dare! I have power, though illegally equipped but I will do it – I will put you in prison and you will not justify yourself regardless your innocence! I will seize your business, sequester your property, etc… this is terror, intimidation and state attack against our citizens.”