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Telavi Is Governed By a Person with Criminal Record

March 2, 2007

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Telavi Municipality has a new chairman, Levan Akhalauri replaced Gocha Mamatsashvili. Simultaneous to it, the personnel changes took place in the Telavi Municipality. Gaga Tsigroshvili, Gamgebeli (governor) left for a vacation on the basis of personal application. He was replaced by his deputy Davit Nuskhelidze. In 2004, the Tbilisi Regional Court tried the latter for fraudulent activities and found him guilty.

Mamatsashvili resigned after the President’s famous statements. The opponents of the government said that Mamatsashvili was not forgiven for having purchased luxurious car and for expensive repair-works carried out in his quarter. He was particularly punished for having made bathroom in his office. Mamatsashvili moved to the National Movement’s Telavi Office. However, he did not give the key to his former quarter to anyone for quite a long time. Thus, his substitution had to sit in another room.

The new chairman of the Telavi Municipality neither denies nor confirms the fact. “Initially I continued my activities in the old room, however sometimes I used Mamatsashvili’s quarter too. Nowadays, I work in my predecessor’s room,’ said Akhalauri.

-Mr. Levan, could you tell us why has the Telavi Gamgebeli left for holiday?

-You should ask this question to Tsigroshvili himself. He must have more reliable information.

-Yes, he must, but you are a chairman of the Municipality. Gamgebeli is elected by the Municipality. Did not he explain you the reason for having left for holiday?

-He said that he wanted to leave for holiday because of domestic problems. He said nothing more. If we wanted to fire Tsagroshvili, we would have fired him.

-Mr. Levan, Davit Nuskhelidze, interim Gamgebeli of Telavi District, is a former chairman of the council of the village of Akuri, is not he?

-Yes, I think he is. He worked to that position several years ago.

-You might know that on December 6 2004 Nuskhelidze was found guilty by Tbilisi Regional Court. How did Nuskhelidze manage to rehabilitate and be promoted within such a short time?

-You should ask him this question. I assure you that Telavi is governed by hardworking and honest people. The same can be said about this person too.

Nuskhelidze does not comment how he has managed to rehabilitate and be promoted for the last two years. We tried to get in touch with him several times; however he refused to speak with us.

An extract from the Tbilisi Regional Court verdict dated by December 6, 2004 states that Davit Nuskhelidze and Vakhtang Omiadze committed crime; they prepared fraudulent documents for personal purposes. The crime is envisaged by the Georgian Criminal Code Article 341-e. “Both members of the councilor of the village of Akuri in the Telavi District are sentenced to one-year-imprisonment in the detention setting within the Penitentiary Department. The sentence was not followed under the Georgian Criminal Code Articles 63-64 and they were given probation time. Above-mentioned condemned people are put under the charge of the probation service office located in their residences,” the verdict stated.

Officials from the Kakheti Regional Governor’s Administration said that they do not have any information about Nuskhelidze’s criminal record. “I do not know anything about that. I will find out,” said Deputy Governor of the Kakheti Region, Zurab Bezhanishvili.

As for Tsigorishvili’s vacation, the Telavi Municipality Gamgebeli said that he left for vacation because of being too tired of work. “I am too tired of work. So I asked the regional governor to let me leave for vacation. There is no other reason for it and actually you should not spread this information.”

-Mr. Gaga, people connects your vacation with the expensive repair-works in your office, what can you say regarding the situation?

-I carried out repair-works and joined two rooms. I spent some money on it; though there is nothing too alarming in it,” said Tsigorishvili.

Telavi population considers that the President should get interested in the criminal record of Nuskhelidze. “Telavi dwellers say that it is district’s shame that Nuskheildze is public official.”

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

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