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Abuse of administrative resources in Khashuri municipality

October 27, 2016
 
Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

“If authenticity of the audio-recording is confirmed, Khashuri municipality deputy governor Zurab Chkhitunidze and single mandate candidate from the Georgian Dream Valeri Gelashvili may be fined with 2 000 GEL each,” lawyer of Shida Kartli office of Human Rights Center Aleksi Merebashvili said when commenting on the audio-recording spread by the Shida Kartli Information Center.

In the audio-recording published by the Shida Kartli Information Center single mandate candidate of the Georgian Dream in Khashuri municipality Valeri Gelashvili promised the employees of the municipality administration to raise salaries in exchange of their support in the second round of the Parliamentary Elections. The meeting was organized in the Hotel Iveria two days ago. According to the audio-footage, Valeri Gelashvili and municipality deputy governor Zurab Chkhitunidze speak about necessity to use the administrative resource in the ballot. As the representatives of the Information Center clarified, they received the audio-recording from a person, who also attended the meeting.

“If authenticity of the audio-recording is proved, it will be evaluated as violation of the Election Code. Namely, it is abuse of administrative resources or abuse of power or official capacity during pre-election agitation and campaign that is subject to a fine in amount of 2000 GEL under the Article 88 of the Election Code of Georgia. The District Election Commission shall consider the issue of fine. Apart to that, separate investigation shall be commenced into the alleged fact of bribing voters and if the court confirms the fact, the election subject shall have registration annulled. Criminal case under Article 164′ Part I of the Criminal Code of Georgia shall be commenced (bribing voter),” lawyer Aleksi Merebashvili of Human Rights Center said.

Valeri Gelashvili confirmed the meeting and content of the speech but he claims there is no signs of voters-bribery and abuse of administrative resources in his activities. 

“I, as an acting MP promised them to solicit increase of their salaries with the municipality administration. I did not give them the promise, which contains some signs of crime,” Valeri Gelashvili said.

Statement of the deputy governor Zurab Chkhitunidze is heard in the audio-recording, who claims that administrative resource shall be used. Chkhitunidze said the audio-recording was edited and his speech is out of context.

“I attended the meeting as Gelashvili’s supporter and it is absolutely excluded that I spoke about the abuse of administrative resources. The footage is edited and out of context,” deputy governor Zurab Chkhitunidze claimed.

Representatives of the Information Center of Shida Kartli state the recording was not edited. As for the Khashuri DEC, its chairman Imedo Latsabidze said the DEC has not yet received any application about the fact to start survey. 

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