FC “Lanchkhuti Guria” Does not Release Public Information

Nino Mshvidobadze, Lanchkhuti

Non-commercial legal person “Lanchkhuti Football Club Guria” has been funded from the district budget for the past few years. On December 12, 2013, Human Rights Center sent official letter to the director of the FC Koba Mirzashvili and requested publication information; namely detailed information about the expenditure of 85 000 lari, which the FC had received from the Lanchkhuti district budget based on the decision of the municipal board. The Center requested names of contracted personnel (football players, coaches, personnel, etc) including the labor contract terms, expire dates and their monthly salaries. Although the terms for the release of public information set by the law expired a month ago, the organization has not received the requested public information yet. 

Human Rights Center applied to Tamaz Trapaidze, head of the Ozurgeti office of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, to find out whether the FC had breached the law. “In this particular case, the FC breached the requirements of the Chapter 3 of the General Administrative Code referring to the public information. All terms were breached that are set for the release of the public information. You can file administrative lawsuit on the fact at the court,” Trapaidze said.

Article 40 of the Chapter 3 of the Administrative Code of Georgia reads: “A public agency shall release public information immediately, or not later than ten days.”