Ozurgeti Office of the Georgian Dream Requests Study of the District Governor’s Activities

Nino Mshvidobadze, Guria

Controversy between Georgian Dream’s Ozurgeti office and district governor continues. The GD’s local office representatives request the new governor of Guria region Giorgi Chkhaidze to invite financial police and audit service to the region to study the activities of Ozurgeti district governor Kote Sharashenidze.

“Ozurgeti district is governed by a person, who was in alliance with the United National Movement. We would like to invite Financial Police to Ozurgeti to study Kote Sharashenidze’s activities,” GD member Nugzar Giorgadze said.

“Appointment of the district governor is beyond my competence; the municipal board is in charge of it. Local self-governmental elections are scheduled in spring, 2014 and everything will be cleared up. As for accusations, interested party has full right to appeal to investigative bodies,” Giorgi Chkhaidze commented on the GD members’ complaints.

Before 2013 Presidential Elections, leaders of the Ozurgeti district office of the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia petitioned to the presidential candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili and head of the election office Davit Saganelidze with the request to resign Kote Sharashenidze from the position. Chairman of the GD’s Ozurgeti office Davit Darchia, chairman of the Ozurgeti district office of the Republic Party Tipo Mikatadze, chairman of the local office of Free Democrats Dimitri Kvergelidze and chairman of the local office of the Naitonal Forum Shota Gogiberidze signed the petition.

“We decided to write this petition due to current extremely tense political and civic situation in Ozurgeti district; those processes are progressing day by day. The problem is caused by illegal and politically incorrect activities of the district governor Konstantine Sharashenidze, he has carried out from the first day of his appointment to the position. His actions extremely astonished local society,” the petition reads.

The signatories state they have well-grounded doubt everything is done to maintain corruptive schemes created years ago. They claim Sharashenidze’s ten-month governance mis-developed processes in Ozurgeti district. 

The authors of the petition state criminals are involved in political and public processes in the district. They blame local leaders of the Georgian Dream in miscommunication with other members of the Coalition. Non-authoritative persons interfere in the decision making process in the district administration and other agencies.    

The petition reads that interim district governor is often drunk and physically abuses opponents.

Coalition has not yet responded to the petition and Kote Sharashenidze is still on the position.

Humanrights.ge contacted Kote Sharashenidze for comments but he denied accusations: “There is no controversy between me and the Coalition. I do not know who wants to invite financial police here. I am district governor and have much work,” Sharashenidze said.