Gov’t returns illegally seized properties by previous authorities
By Messenger staff
Thursday, September 15
Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office has announced three individuals who experienced illegal losses under the previous United National Movement Government (UNM) would regain their 13 cars, five ATVs and two land plots.
The total amount of the illegally seized properties in 2008-2010 reached $399,000.
The Prosecutor’s Office announced in July 2008 that Georgia’s Constitutional Security Department detained a Georgian citizen Vazha Tsigroshvili and demanded from him the purchase of cars and ATVs in exchange for a plea bargain.
Tsigroshvili was forced to fulfill the demand and bought 13 cars and five ATVs for a total price $216,000, “for the state.”
Meeting the necessary precondition, the Prosecutor’s Office signed a plea bargain with the detainee and he quit a penitentiary facility.
The second and third cases opened by the Prosecutor’s Office concerned the illegal seizure of lands.
In particular, citizen of Georgia Pridon Baratashvili purchased 12027,3 square meter of land in Kutaisi.
In 2009, Baratashvili was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office, which demanded that he give 7,000 square meters of land worth of $78,000 to the state, otherwise he would “face problems”.
Baratashvili had to hand the land plot to the state despite the fact he had legally purchased it.
In the third case, which took place in 2010, citizen of Georgia David Kupatadze was summoned to the Investigation Department of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance, which demanded that he hand his 490 square meter of non-agricultural land plot in Tbilisi to the state, otherwise he would be arrested.
Kupatadze also met the demand and concede his land worth $104,000.
Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office created a special department in 2015 that was tasked with investigating alleged illegalities committed under the UNM, which ran the country in 2003-2012.
Since it was created the Department has:
Opened 44 cases of illegal seizure of property;
Thirty-two state servants were accused of committing crimes;
Seven individuals are being prosecuted;
Discretion has been used in terms of 23 people as they cooperated with the investigation and were not sent to prison;
Investigation was suspended regarding two state servants as they are deceased;
Seventy-nine individuals were recognized as affected by the previous authorities and they regained or will regain their properties worth more than 8 $million.
Among the illegally seized properties were 65 cars, flats, land plots, office and commercial facilities, a vinery, a swimming complex and other real estate.
