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Ministry Appropriated Sequestered Entity

July 6, 2009

Shorena Sarishvili

Shopping center “Batumi” was sold. New owner of the entity is “Shopping Center 2009 Ltd”, which is run by Abesalom Gurgenidze, former official of the Ministry of Finances and Economics of the Adjara Autonomous Republic. Former owners of the shopping center claim the Ministry seized the sequestered property but it is denied by the Ministry.

Batumi City Court sequestered Shopping Center (so called Khopa market) in 2007. The court should find out whether the shopping center will remain in the possession of old owners or it will be completely assigned to the state. Although the entity was sequestered, the court has not finished yet and the owner of the shopping center is not known yet; nevertheless the Ministry of Finances and Economics sold it. On June 25 the sequestered entity was assigned to the “Shopping Center 2009 Ltd” which was registered on the same day. Levan Mamuladze, the lawyer for the Shopping Center “Batumi”, protests it. He said selling of the sequestered property was illegal. 

The Human Rights Center got in touch with the Ministry of Finances and Economics to find out the situation. “We did not know that the entity was sequestered. The private property - shopping center turned into a state Ltd,” explained Tengiz Tsintsadze, head of the Department for Enterprise Management and Agreement Monitoring within the Ministry.

It must be pointed out that the Shopping Center did not belong to any concrete owner; Batumi City Hall was one of the owners as well. The shareholders were: “Ananuri Ltd” (owners are Ilia, Guram and Eduard Ananidzes) owned 50 %; “Gantiadi 94 Ltd” (owner Nargiz Abashidze) – 28, 5 %; Batumi City Hall – owned 20 % and Joni Zoidze 1,5 %.

Criminal case was launched against two owners of the Shopping Center Ilia Ananidze and Joni Zoidze. Batumi City Court sent Ilia Ananidze to prison for appropriating 304 459 GEL and Joni Zoidze was sentenced to five-year imprisonment.

Traders Threat with Rallies

One more issue that was raised after the shopping center was sold. At the moment the fate of 1 500 traders, who worked in the shopping center, is not settled yet. The officials from the Ministry claimed the center will not change the profile. The traders do not believe it and state that if the shopping center changes the profile they will start rallies to protect their rights.

“We are trading here because we have to keep our families. I have high education but where shall I go if they close it? Politics is not my business; I just worry about unemployment. I have taken loans from two banks; if the shopping center is closed, how shall I pay the loan? This problem will not be resolved easily; I doubt a big clash will happen here,” said Manana Sharabidze.

Surie Shanidze, trader: “Nobody cares about our rights. Shall we commit suicide to attract attention? Where shall we take all these goods we have here to sell?”

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