Investigation against Gia Tortladze

Interpresnews

Investigative service of the Ministry of Finance started investigation against Gia Trotladze on the alienation of state property; Gia Tortladze was member of the previous convocation parliament and is head of the De-occupation Center. Head of public relation department at the investigative service Natia Sukhiashvili made the statement at the special briefing on February 7.

Sukhiashvili said on September 5, 2012 Ministry of Culture transferred 350 000 lari to the Georgian De-Occupation Center to organize a project “Georgia without occupants;” Gia Tortladze was head of this center. In the frame of the same project, a luxurious vehicle Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, price 104 602 lari, was assigned to the Center for free.

Law of Georgia on State Property prohibits alienation of the state property and as Natia Sukhiashvili noted the director of the De-Occupation Center Gia Tortladze did not consider requirements of the law and sold vehicle Toyota Land Cruiser Prado for 50 000 USD on January 4, 2013 and spent the money on personal purposes.

Representatives of the Investigative Service at the Ministry of Finances said the investigation was launched under Article 182 Part III that envisages imprisonment from 7 to 11 years. It is noteworthy that criminal case against Gia Tortladze was launched with regard to general activities of the De-Occupation Center. The investigation started on January 23, 2013 and employees of the investigative service withdrew financial documentation from the office on February 7.

Head of the De-Occupation Center Gia Tortladze claims the statements of the Investigative Service are absurd.

He told Interpresnews that the vehicle had assigned to him for unlimited term and for free based on the government’s decree. After the Center accumulated some debts, he sold the car and transferred the money to the budget; he can prove this operation by relevant document.

“The car was not a state property; it belonged to me, to the De-Occupation Center which was assigned to me for unlimited term and for free. It was my property so I sold it and transferred the money to the state budget. I have not sold state property. Based on the government’s and ministry’s decree it was my car and those decrees do not prohibit me to sell the car,” Gia Tortladze told Interpresnews.

Besides, Tortladze denies information spread by the investigative service alleging that he had spent the money on his own purposes.

“It is false, I hold the document which proves that I transferred 81 625 lari to the budget. Is the budget my personal property? If it is mine, then gift it to me and I will confess… They act stupidly because they are nasty people. They even do not know how much money was transferred to me – they announced 120 000 lari whilst I had received 131 000 lari; but I returned 81 000 lari back. That woman was mumbling something. They cannot even estimate how much property I had received from the state,” Tortladze said.

The head of the de-occupation center said the launched investigation against him is prime-minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s oppression on him.

“They do not want De-Occupation Center to function in Georgia as well as Putin. It is my political statement. It is oppression on nongovernmental organization De-Occupation Center and on me. He cannot forgive my critical statements about him; but if we cannot recover it I will help him to recover,” said Tortladze.