Post-Feudalism In Adjara

Gela Mtivlishvili

How Varshalomidzes Got Hold of A Three Story House

Lela Abesadze lived on the third floor of the three story house in Baratashvili Street N 20, Batumi since 1985. She purchased the one-room flat from a private owner. Neither Abesadze nor other residents of the building had any problems before Levan Varshalomidze was appointed as the chairperson of the government of the Adjara Autonomous Republic. His father Guram Varshalomidze lives in the same building.

The House of Varshalomidzes

The residential building in Baratashvili Street N 20 has three stories. About one century ago English builders built the residential building. During many years, café-bar “Sichabuke” and a shop for household technique “Samsung” were functioning on the ground floor of the building. 54 % of the café-bar was state property and the rest was owned by private people. On January 24, 2006 the state sold at auction the 177 sq. meters it owned. According to the official record of the auction the only participant in the auction, Bichiko Kosolidze, purchased the property. The remaining space of 80 sq. meters owned by private persons was also sold. According to the Notary Act on Property Purchase, Bichiko Kosolidze purchased 80 sq. meters of the space for 22 000 USD. Bichiko Kosolidze is the driver of businessman Tengiz Bakuridze who is very close to Levan Varshalomidze.

There are two apartments on the second floor. One belongs to Levan Varshalomidze’s father Guram Varshalomidze and the second to Irakli Varshalomidze, the brother of Levan Varhshalomidze, the chairperson of the government in Adjara.

Guram Varshalomidze wrote his property declaration on April 29 2003. According to the declaration his annual income 3,500 GEL.,the declaration does not provide any information about his business or bank accounts. The value of the apartment in Baratashvili Street N 20 is listed at 75 000 USD. It is also indicated in the declaration that the co-owner of the apartment is his son Irakli Varshalomidze. In 2003-2004 Irakli Varshalomidze was head of the Auto-transportation Administration Department in the Adjara Autonomous Republic and his annual income was less than 1,590 GEL.

Levan Varshalomidze lives in the house of Guram and Irakli Varshalomidzes. According to official records he does not own an apartment in Batumi.

According to the property declaration of Levan Varshalomidze dated May 31, 2006 he is the owner of the apartment in Krtsanisi Street N 8 in Tbilisi that is valued at 25 000 USD. Levan Varshalomidze does not own any other property or stocks.

Everybody Sold Flats Except One

The neighbors of the Varshalomidzes – Ekaterine Baramidze, Tiniko Beberashvili, Lela Abesadze, Lali Chkhartishvili, Sveta Nikachadze, Madona Turmanidze, Angelina Solomonidze and Kakha Gorbonidze all lived on the third floor of the residential building. Every resident except Lela Abesadze sold their apartments in September-October of 2006.

Sveta Nikachadze: “My flat was 90 sq. meters and Guram Varshalomidze purchased it. I do not know how much he paid because my son was dealing with him. We moved to another flat.”

Lali Chkhartishvili: “I did not want to sell the flat but I had to move anyway. Guram Varshalomidze bought my flat and paid 16 000 USD in cash.”

Lela Abesadze was the only neighbor who refused to sell her flat to Guram Varshalomidze.

“Levan Evgenidze, a body-guard of Levan Varshalomidze, asked me to sell my flat. Since I knew the Varshalomidzes had purchased the entire building and they would have compelled me to sell my flat, I did not categorically decline their offer. I told Evgenidze that if the Varshalomidzes purchased a two-room flat in the same street in Batumi, I would have moved from the apartment. Evgenidze said he would inform the Varshalomidzes about my proposal. When I met him next time he told me that the Varshalomidzes categorically refused to buy an alternative flat for me. I raised the same proposal with Evgenidze several times but the Varshalomidzes never accepted it,” said Lela Abesadze.

After that Lela Abesadze and her guests had problems with the guards of the Varshalomidzes while entering the house.

Lela Abesadze: “The guards would search whoever visited me; the guards used to take bags from my visitors and check them. They wanted to determine who the visitor was where s/he was coming from, why s/he was visiting me and if they considered s/he was an acceptable visitor they allowed them to enter my house. Thus, the Varshalomidzes intimidated me. They created some problems while I was entering my house. Twice, I had to stay outside for several hours when I returned home in the evening.

On July 10, 2007 I arrived at the house by taxi and took out two bags from the car. As soon as I got out of the car the guards of the Varshalomidzes called the patrol police. The law enforcement officers fined the taxi driver for illegal parking. Of course, that night I almost was unable to enter my flat, entering only after some delays. I had to wait outside for more than two hours. I the guards to let me in my house but the guard did not reply. I was allowed to enter my flat only after it was dark. I was astonished at facing such problems while getting into my house and in my flat I remarked – how they could not be satisfied. I did not say the name but several minutes later policemen Kakhidze, Kvirkvelia and Khozrevanidze visited me. They did not say anything; put put shackles on me and took me to the police station.”

The Only Neighbor of the Varshalomidzes Was Arrested

According to official records, on July 10, 2007 Ucha Kakhidze, inspector at the sub-division of the Batumi Police Department N 3, arrested Lela Abesadze for resisting law enforcement officers.

Protocol N 006584 on administrative crime dated July 10, 2007 states: “On July 10, 2007 at 11: 15 pm in Baratashvili Street N 20 Lela Abesadze breached the public order by scolding people in foul language. Although she was warned several times, she did not obey the law enforcement officers.”

Lela Abesadze did not sign the protocol. A Policeman wrote in the explanatory letter that Abesadze refused to sign the protocol. However, the detainee claims that the policemen did not draw up the administrative protocol where she was arrested..

Although the time of Lela Abesadze’s detention in the record is 11: 15 pm there is an official protocol drawn up at 12:51 pm on July 10, 2007.It states that “O. Abashidze, inspector-on-duty at the Batumi Police Department N 3 received information from operator Gogmadze that Lela Abesadze in Baratashvili Street N 20 was breaching the public order. She was screaming and scolding people.”

That night Lela Abesadze was placed in pre-trial detention in Batumi. On July 11 Judge Jumber Bezhanidze at the Batumi City Court discussed the case and sent Lela Abesadze to prison for 5 days. Lela Abesadze served her administrative sentence in Batumi pre-trial detention N 1, the so called “Batumi security department detention” which she left on July 15.

An Attempt to Succeed By Declaring the Rival Mad

In the morning on July 16 Lela Abesadze visited the subdivision of the Batumi Police Department N 3 and requested her jewelry. Instead of returning her property to Abesadze an ambulance took her to Batumi Mental Hospital.

N. Tevzadze, director of the medical emergency service of Batumi, stated that “on July 16, 2007 at 10:10 am a certain Khozrevanidze called an ambulance to go to Kutaisi Street N 28 in Batumi. The doctors diagnosed that Lela Abesadze had an acute psychosis. The Doctor-on-duty Sarantidi wrote in the record-book that “Lela Abesadze spent 5 days in detention. Having returned home she created a conflict situation again and consequently, the person was taken to Batumi mental hospital.”

Psychiatrist Irma Diasamidze states that inspector I. Lortkipanidze from the subdivision of the Batumi Police Department, who accompanied the medical team, requested the doctors to take Abesadze to the mental hospital.

“In order to start medical treatment of Lela Abesadze at the mental hospital the commission of doctors examined the patient. The Commission concluded that Abesadze did not have any signs of psychological problems or other signs that could cause any problems for society. She was not to be placed in the hospital. At the hospital Abesadze did not take any medicines because she did not need it,” said the director of the hospital A. Mikava.

When Lela Abesadze returned home a guard of Levan Varshalomidze’s family handed her an envelope with the notification of Tbilisi Psycho-Neurological Hospital. The notification provides the information about her health conditions. Abesadze does not keep in secret that in 1999 she had really visited a mental hospital for consultation however she did not require the hospital to issue any document on her health conditions.

According to Article 26 of the Chapter III of the Law of Georgia on Psychiatric Assistance (confidentiality of medical assistance) the information about the patient can be released only based on the permission of the patient, his/her legal representative or pursuant to court decision. Tbilisi Psycho-Neurological Hospital did not receive any court decision on issuing the information on Lela Abesadze; nor did Abesadze or any legal representative give her permission or apply to the hospital.. The notification of the Psycho-Neurological Hospital does not have a date, is not signed by an authoritative person and does not have a seal on.

However, the information is copied from the record book of the patient’s medical treatment and it is placed in the official blank of the hospital

Criminal Case Initiated Against Abesadze

Lela Abesadze: “Several days after they gave me the letter, Vakho Kazazishvili, head of Levan Varshalomidze’s guard, met me and offered to find an alternative flat for me and they would buy it for me. If I moved from the house, they promised to find a job for me as well. I did not refuse them but I said I could not leave the neighborhood where I had lived for 20 years; so I asked Kazazishvili to find a two-room flat in the same street and buy it for me. They refused again. On that day, our conversation concluded with that.”

Lela Abesadze still encountered some problems when entering her flat. In August of 2007 a criminal case under Article 239 of the Criminal Code of Georgia was initiated against her at the Batumi Police Department. Other neighbors living in the yard of Varshalomidze’s house appealed to the police department. Those people have a good relationship with the Varshalomidzes. Applicants Torosian and Movsesian stated that Lela Abesadze had a conflict with Varshalomidzes and she was cursing them every day.

“I could not stand it any longer”

On August 5 2007 Lela Abesadze signed an agreement and assigned her flat in Baratashvili Street N 20 to Vakho Kazazishvili. He purchased a one-room flat for Abesadze in a house in May 26 Street in Batumi.

“I could not stand it any longer; they were threatening me with imprisonment and I had to leave the flat,” said Abesadze.

According to the National Agency of the Civil Registration within the Ministry of Justice of Georgia the three story house in Baratashvili Street N 20 is not registered to anyone.