Did the Local Government Take the Telavi Agricultural Market?

Did the Local Government Take the Telavi Agricultural Market?

On the 8th August, the Kakheti Court Decision Implementation Office within the Ministry of Justice executed a verdict of the Telavi District Court. The verdict, which was passed several days ago, expelled Tengiz Darchiashvili, the former owner of the agricultural market, from the marketplace. Darchiashvili declares the Telavi District Court’s verdict was illegal.

Kakhaber Rostomashvili, executor of court decisions at the Kakheti Court Decision Implementation Office, states that the expulsion was carried out without any complications. The former owner of the market, Tengiz Darchiashvili, and his lawyers insist that the court’s verdict was illegal and Implementation Office has executed an illegal verdict. They state, the expulsion was held on the basis of a false document. Tengiz Darchiashvili also says that his expulsion is directly related to his son’s, Djumber Darchiashvili’s detention, who is the former Chief of the Telavi District Administration’s Culture Department.

Djumber Darchiashvili has been detained for several months and is accused of appropriating state property, abusing his power and official indifference.

Djumber Darchiashvili’s father, former market owner, Tengiz Darchiashvili, says that the local government wanted a share in the market and this resulted in the arrest of his son.

“The local government might have thought that my son would prevent them from appropriating the market, by working at the Administration, and so they detained him. But it became clear he has not appropriated any money. However he is still in jail and now he is likely to be released as they have taken the market…” says Tengiz Darchiashvili.

Despite Tengiz Darchiashvili’s optimism, Lia Tsabutashvili does not believe her husband, Djumber Darchiashvili, will be released. She sees links between her husband’s detention and the Telavi agricultural market like her father-in-law.

“This expulsion is illegal and is related to my husband’s detention. My husband is kind of a hostage. He is absolutely innocent and has not appropriated even a tetri. We are made to give up the market in exchange for the detainee. My husband was sent for by criminals in the jail, who made him call his father to ask him to leave the market. He was threatened with attacks on his family too….

We have not given up the market. We hope that my husband will be released as they have already sentenced him to three years detention…” says Lia Tsabutashvili.

The illegality of the 8th August exile is discussed by Darchiashvilis lawyers as well. “We have sued against the Telavi District Court’s verdict and against its illegal verdict execution document. The illegality of this document is stems from the fact that Darchiashvili was handed the document without any number. Another violation is the fact that the execution document is written on the verdict. Everything proves the falsification of this document…” says Maia Kandashvili, lawyer for the Darchiashvilis.

A second lawyer for the Darchiashvilis, Gela Ivanidze, accuses the Telavi District Court Judge Nemsitsveridze, of violating the law and calls him a criminal. “Judge Nemsitsveridze has drawn up the fraudulent document/verdict as there was no reason for launching the case. Nemsitsveridze is a criminal and he has no mental abilities to settle the argument. He can implement only directives from above…” says Gela Ivanidze.

Kakhaber Rostomashvili, verdict executor of the Telavi Implementation Office considers the exile of the Darchiashvilis from the market legal. “Our office has executed the court’s verdict. It was internal expulsion from the Telavi agricultural market.  It was an abandonment of the territory by one party and assigning it a second one. Everything was implemented within the law…” says Kakhaber Rostomashvili.

Djabrail Khangoshvili, the new owner of the Telavi agricultural market, considers himself the legal owner and states that the privatization purchase was made by him. “The verdict, passed several months ago by the court, foresees Darchiashvili leaving the market. I trusted him with the money, but he totally deceived me. This market was invested in by me alone, the Darchiashvilis have not paid even a tetri…” says Djabrail Khangoshvili.
 
Djabral Khangoshvili categorically denies any relation between the local government and the market. “I have made no deals with the government at all. I demanded what legally belongs to me and have won…” says Djabrail Khangoshvili.

Despite Khangoshvili’s statement, the Telavi population remembers well the Kakheti Regional Governor, Petre Tsiskarishvili’s, speech on TV – they were going “to take the market from the Darchiashvilis and transfer it to a new investor…”

For the most part, Telavi dwellers consider that “the Telavi agricultural market has already been taken by the local government and that Khangoshvili is the face of the market.”

After the execution of the Telavi District Court’s decision, the Telavi agricultural market’s new governing board has begun its activities, although the Darchiashvilis are not going to give in.

Veriko Kobiashvili, Telavi