How the property and income of the family of the deputy head of the State Security Service increased

Reginfo.ge 

By 2013, the family of the first deputy head of the State Security Service Ioseb Gogoashvili did not have any property and income. But, according to his 2017 financial declaration, the family owned the properties with the value of over 200 000 USD; however, his annual income in public service was about 215 000 GEL.

Ioseb Gogashvili was appointed to the position of the deputy head of one of the divisions in the General Inspection of the MIA after the 2012 Parliamentary Elections. According to the information of the former Minister of Healthcare of Georgia Zurab Tchiaberashvili, before taking the office, Gogashvili’s family was registered in the United Database of the Socially Vulnerable Families and received allowances from the state.

“They received allowance from December 2011 to March 2013. It is important to note that in the same period, their family extended with one member; so in the period of December 2011-July 2012 they received total 102 GEL for four family members, and from July 2012, their monthly allowance increased up to 126 GEL for 5 members,” Tchiaberashvili said.

While working in the General Inspection of the MIA, in 2012-2014, Ioseb Gogashvili’s annual salary amounted to 81 276 GEL.

In 2015, when he was first deputy of the Minister of Interior, and then first deputy of the head of the State Secretary Service, Ioseb Gogashvili’s annual income reached 136 273 GEL. In 2016, on the position of the head of the State Secretary Service, his annual income was 142 610 GEL. 

Before 2012, Ioseb Gogashvili’s wife, Thea Martkoplishvili did not work at all. In 2013, she started working as a chief specialist in the Oil and Gas Corporation of Georgia and her annual salary was 12 000 GEL.

In 2014, Thea Martkoplishvili continued working as a chief specialist in the Gas Transportation Company JSC subordinated to the abovementioned state enterprise; her annual salary there increased 2,6 times and reached 31 318 GEL.

Since 2015, Martkoplishvili was promoted to the position of the deputy head of the administration in the same company and her annual salary reached 59 280 GEL.

Throughout 2016, she did not change the position but her salary was significantly increased and reached annual 72 158 GEL, that is monthly 6 013 GEL that is equal to the minister’s salary in Georgia. 

As for the property declaration of the senior official of the State Security Service, in accordance to his 2013-2014 declarations, Ioseb Gogashvili’s family did not own any properties. 

In 2015, Ioseb Gogashvili already owned the 12 502 sq. meter agricultural land in the village of Zemo Machkhaani (Shiraki) in Dedoplistskaro municipality. Besides that, his son, Nikoloz Gogashvili owned three more plots in the same village, with total space of 1 715 sq. meters. According to the data from the same report year, Ioseb Gogashvili had saving of 85 000 GEL and his wife – 25 000 GEL. 

According to the 2017 declaration, Ioseb Gogashvili purchased a flat in Avto Varazi street N 91 in Tbilisi for 75 000 USD together with a plot. The family spent 60 000 USD on its renovation. At the same time, Ioseb Gogashvili spent 25 000 USD on furniture and household technique. His wife Thea Martkoplishvili purchased Toyota Prado of 2016 for 37 400 USD. The declaration reads that Ioseb Gogashvili and his wife took loans in the bank to purchase all abovementioned properties. 

Several days ago, the United National Movement petitioned the chief prosecutor’s office to start investigation into alleged corruptive activities of the former deputy head of the State Security Service Soso Gogashvili.

“Classic example of corruptive scheme is evident. The person, who received social allowance in 2013, became the owner of huge property after he was appointed on high position in public service. We may speak about other corruptive violations too, which are punishable under the law,” Levan Bezhashvili said.

As reported in the weekly program P.S. of the Rustavi 2, in August 2016, 105 thousand square meters of agriculture plot in the village of Machkhaani, 305 000 sq. meter of plot in Bodbiskhevi village in Signagi municipality, 7 plots in Shiraki village with total space of 1 300 000 sq. meters and a flat in Tsagareli street in Tbilisi were registered on Khatuna Martkoplishvili, sister-in-law of Gogashvili. Rustavi 2 reported that Gogashvili’s sister-in-law is a tailor and lives in a rented house.