Property Rights Still Violated in Sighnaghi

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti  

Last week Georgian president announced several initiatives about Constitutional amendments. Mikheil Saakashvili discussed the hot issue of property rights as well. The president pointed out that the right to property must be fully protected and nobody should be deprived of their property without a court having made a legal decision. Despite that statement of Saakashvili, the property right is still abused in Sighnaghi. 800 sq. meters of land was confiscated from Valeri Goniashvili. He holds Zaza Zedelashvili, Sighnaghi district governor for attempting to take his the land from him.

Valeri Goniashvili has owned 800 sq. meters in Gorgasali Street in Signaghi since March 17 2008. The document issued by the Public Registry within the Ministry of Justice also confirms his right to the property. Valeri Goniashvili has owned the land for thirty years. However he could have registered the property on him under the law within the presidential program “What Is Yours Is Yours”.

“The Deed of Ownership on the land was issued by the commission working property issues within the Sighnaghi Municipality Board. After that we registered the land at the Public Registry too. We wanted to start some business on the land but Zaza Zedelashvili would not allow us.”

In July of 2008 we petitioned to Sighnaghi municipality board and requested the permission on construction though we received neither positive nor negative answer. Instead permission Zaza Zedelashvili came and shouted at us and prohibited to put wooden tables and chairs in the area. Besides that, he said that he intended to deprive us the property with the support of the commission which issued the deed of ownership only just a short time before. After the threat of the district governor we applied to Niko Dznelashvili, the chairperson of the commission working on property issues, who declared that the land would be seized from us because he was oppressing. However, he did not tell us the name of the person and or persons who has put him under pressure.

Reportedly several owners had their property seized from them in Sighnaghi. So I have serious fear that we will also lose our property as well,” stated Gulnara Kandelakishvili, wife of Valeri Goniashvili, to the Human Rights Center on September 12, 2008.

The lawyers of the center met with Kote Khmaladze, deputy chairperson of the commission working on property issues within the Sighnaghi Municipality Board. Khmaladze stated nobody has applied to their commission regarding the land registered on Valeri Goniashvili. “The Deed of Ownership # 215 was issued according to the law,” said Khmaladze. Niko Dznelashvili, the chairperson of the commission, refused the representatives of the human rights organization to meet with them.

On the same day, Zaza Zedelashvili categorically denied the accusations of Gulnara Kandelakishvili. “I have no connections with this commission at all and cannot exert pressure on  them.” Zedelashvili.

During the conversation between the center representatives and the governor, Aleksandre Mateshvili, deputy governor, stated: “They have some complaints, have not they? Actually, we should find out how they registered the land.”

-So, you confirm that the municipality board is interested in the property of Valeri Goniashvili?

-I do not confirm anything. As for the fact that we could not reply to the petition of the citizen, it was caused by the personnel changes in the board, and this is related to the deputy governor who had to reply to the petition; he has since changed his profession,” explained the district governor.

On September 20 the commission working on property issues discussed the legality of Valeri Goniashvili’s property and abolished the Deed of Ownership that had been issued by their commission. The commission appealed to the Sighnaghi Registration Department of the National Agency for Public Registry within the Ministry of Justice on the same day. The commission requested to cancel the ownership of Goniashvili on the land.

The Human Rights Center contacted with Niko Dznelashvili to find out why the commission had canceled the document which was actually issued by the same entity.

“I cannot tell you anything. I resign from my position as the chairperson,” stated Dznelashvili.

The Sighnaghi registration service center of the Public Registry has not reached a decision on Valeri Goniashvili’s property as of this time.