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Candidate for the Kutaisi City Mayor’s Position Blamed in Financial Machinations

February 26, 2015
 
Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

Chairwoman of the Georgian Women’s Party for Justice and Equality Khatuna Matchavariani, who participated in the local self-governmental elections of June 15, 2014 for the position of the Kutaisi city mayor, is blamed in the financial machinations by her party members; they request to impose criminal liability on her. The party members claim Matchavariani falsified signatures on the salary documents and misappropriated their funds.

“Besides that, the lady made us for before elections and on the Election Day but she did not pay salaries to us. She falsified our signatures. I did not know anything about it. In the beginning of February I was called from the prosecutor’s office and demanded to go there immediately. They showed me the salary payment document, which notified that I had received the salary. There were our signatures there but of course but not we signed them,” Lela Tskhvediani told humanrights.ge. 

She is one of those who observed the election process in the polling station as a representative of the Women’s Party on June 15, 2014. However, like others, she has not received the salary of an observer – 120 lari as it was agreed based on the labor contract.

Member of the Women’s Party and majoritarian candidate in one of the municipalities in Kutaisi Asmat Dvalishvili clarified that Khatuna Matchavariani punishes people because of her failure in the polls and does not pay salaries to them for that reason.

“Election block Self-Governance for People, whose member is Women’s Party, punishes its members, who worked in election commissions, because of the party’s failure in the local self-governmental elections. They do not pay salaries to the people. The party leaders did not have to pay the salaries from their own pockets but this money was allocated from the state budget for election expenses. Matchavariani, who supervised this process, tried to avoid paying money to some people, among them was majoritarian candidate, and finally she misappropriated large amount of money,” said lawyer Nikoloz Kankava, who defends rights of Asmat Dvalishvili, member of the Women’s Party.

According to his clarification, Khatuna Matchavariani should be blamed not only for the misappropriation of the money but also for the fabrication of documents.

“The prosecutor’s office withdrew hundreds of faked documents and a lot of people were questioned in this case. We were told they are collecting witnesses and evidence. In my family 4 people were deceived. When I called her and asked clarifications she started shouting and insulted me instead explaining situation and apologizing for her behavior,” Lela Tskhvediani said.

Khatuna Matchavariani, chairwoman of the Georgian Women’s Party for Justice and Equality answered the accusations of her party members and told humanrights.ge that people, who did not implement their duties, could not receive salaries.

“I do not know what these people demand from me. They did not properly implement their duties. They even did not bring election protocols from their polling stations. During the election period we of course observed their activities. Besides that they deceived and betrayed us. I cannot understand their complaints why should we pay salaries to them. As for signatures on the salary documents, it might be technical mistake. More precisely, we gave them concrete names of the people who had received salaries and those people signed the documents. I do not know how the signatures of the people, who had not received salaries, appeared in the documents. Maybe investigation will start and the truth will be estimated,” Khatuna Matchavariani said.

By now, the prosecutor’s office has questioned 162 persons. The case was launched under Article 182 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. If the accusations against the candidate are proved, she faces imprisonment from 7 to 11 years. She might be charged for the fabrication of documents too (Article 362) that is punishable by the imprisonment from 3 to 6 years. 

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