Wrongdoing in Gori City hall

Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

A simplified tender was held in Gori City Hall on June 15. The City Mayor was head of the tender commission. Only one company, “Vereli +”, was participating in the tender announced by the City Hall. At this meeting, the tender commission gave three days to the construction company to make changes in its tender application. 

The chair of Gori City Hall tender commission, who is also a Mayor of the city, Zurab Jirkvelishvili is related to the owner of LLC “Vereli +” , which, according to the Tax Code of Georgia, creates a conflict of interests. According to the law, Zurab Jikrvelishvili had no right to be a chair of the commission, which was reviewing the tender application of LLC “Vereli+”. Rostom Mikhanashvili, who holds 100% shares of the company, is a brother in law (sister’s husband) of the City Mayor. 

“The Law of Georgia on State Procurement directly indicates the tax legislation, where the ranks of those people who fall under the conflicts of interest are defined. According to this, brother in law-wife’s brother are considered to have conflict of interest,” – said the chair of regional organization of GYLA, Keti Bebiashvili.

According to lawyers, the City Mayor should not have participated in the work or decision-making process of the commission. 

The violation of the City Mayor moved from the legal scope and evaluation to the political field. Gori organization of UNM held a press conference and accused the Mayor in nepotism and corruption. 

“When the chair of tender commission is the Mayor of Gori, Zurab Jirkvelishvili and the owner of the winner company of the simplified tender is Rostom Mikhanashvili, this is a violation of law. The administration of Shida Kartli Governor, which has a function of surveillance,  is involved in this corruptive scheme, but does not react on this fact, because the head of the Governor Zurab Rusishvili’s administration is Sopo Mikhanashvili – doughter of Rostom Mikhanashvili and niece of Gori Mayor,” – said the head of UNM Gori organization, Kakha Toliashvili. 

City Hall of Gori deemed the tender as canceled, but in a statement distributed by the PR of the City Hall, conflict of interests and reason of cancelation- failure to comply the requirements by the company, was not mentioned. 

The tender to buy the road rehabilitation works in Gori, ended with a negative result. The candidate of electronic, simplified tender, LLC “Vereli+” could not pass the stage of selection/evaluation. Accordingly, by the decision of N3 protocol at the tender commission meeting on June 19, 2015, the company was disqualified,”- reads the statement made by the City Hall. 

The simplified tender was announced for rehabilitation works for asphalt surface on several streets of the city. Its cost amounted in 775 458 lari. The City Hall of Gori will have to announce new tender for the above-mentioned infrastructural works.