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Kareli District Gamgebeli Is Blamed for Appropriating Budget Funds

February 23, 2007

gia_zanardiab.gifThe Human Rights Center’s Gori Organization received a petition from the teachers of public schools from the villages of Dirbi, Aklhalsofeli and Urbnisi in the Kareli District. The teachers wrote in their petition that they did not receive the vouchers in December of 2005 and entered the 2006 without their salaries. The teachers investigated the reasons for the incident and initially applied to the director followed by the head of the Resource Center. However, they could not receive any answer, because those people did not know where that money had disappeared. (photo: Gia Zanardia)

“We used to get in touch with the Gamgebeli (governor) of the Kareli District in 2006 however we did not receive any informative reply from him. Gamgebeli Gia Zanardia told us, together with the interim chief of the Financial Department that the funds were not allocated from the Ministry of Education. He also added that a special commission was working on the issue. Having not received any proper explanation in the district, we petitioned to the Ministry of Education. We received a reply from the Ministry that they had apportioned the sum for vouchers in its time and they advised us to find out the situation from the local bodies. Finally, we understood that all facts led us to the district Gamgebeli. We found out at the Administrative Board that Zarandia spent that money on painting the facades of the buildings in Kareli.”

“Forty thousand lari was apportioned to the Administrative Board for capital expenses. Since the sum was not enough, Zanardia, without having gaining prior consent from the Municipality, spent the money that was allocated for other purposes. The appropriated sum included 45 000GEL, which was allocated for the school vouchers. In total, 290 000 GEL was spent on capital repair works in Kareli.”

“We also learned at the Administrative Board that Zanardia spent the money for teachers’ vouchers according to Regional Governor Mikheil Kareli’s oral resolution. After the teachers had revealed those violations, Zanardia promised them to pay their vouchers from his own pocket. However, the teachers do not trust him.”

“Afterwards, we demanded the salaries, they paid us the money from the school fund reserve, which ended up damaging the school budgets. Many good things could have been done with that money.”

“We applied to the Young Lawyers Association regarding the situation where we were told that the money designated for the schools cannot be used for other purposes.  In general, it is a crime to redirect money that was allocated for some other purposes. Moreover, it’s a shame that it was wasted. A local TV station reported on the situation where we urged the law enforcement bodies to draw their attention to this incident. However, nobody has replied to us yet.”

“We think that the Kareli District Gamgebeli should not have painted the facades at the expense of teachers’ salaries,” the letter stated. 

In a conversation with the Human Rights Office, Zanardia claimed that similar accusations are nonsense and said that the author of the petitions was Badri Nanetashvili, former MP from Kareli. As the center found out, Zanardia and Nanetashvili had some arguments regarding certain questions.

We asked officials from the Kareli district Administrative Board how Nanetashvili could have obtained information about the problem, they answered that a little time ago, Kareli district Gamgebeli fired Beso Bankanashvili, his deputy in financial department. Bankanashvili was a close friend and a classmate of Nanetashvili.

Nanetashvili is a Director General of the TV Company Trialeti. His deputy, Gocha Davitashvili, claimed that Zanardia is lying.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

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