Fees, penalties result in auction of Burji Ltd.

Gama Ltd. became the new owner of Burji Ltd.. This fact has been confirmed by the chair of Gama, Giorgi Kavlashvili, on August 7 in his comments with IPN.

Kavlashvili said the company participated in the electronic auction concerning Burji Ltd.which involved both real and moveable estate.

“We won the auction and paid the company GEL 8,761,000. We are already registered as the owners of Burji Ltd. in the Public Register Agency and we will carry out further actions as the new owners of Burji,” Kavlashvili stated.

However, as the former owners and the company lawyer underscored, the process was ongoing with serious violations.

Based on the Head of Legal Services of Cartu Group, Ala Kakhniauri, on the night of August 6, employees of the Enforcement Bureau, patrol officers and people dressed in black, took all the mini busses from the garage of Burji, despite active resistance from the company representatives’ side.

“We called the patrol, but they helped the enforcement service instead of assisting us. Such action is a violation of the law,” Kakhniauri said.

At that time, the lawyer said, the name of the new owner was still unknown and the representatives of the Enforcement Bureau were acting without representing any official documentation. She also added that the drivers were brought in with the cars without numbers and the transportation means which belonged to Burji Ltd, were taken away.

“Such action can be called robbery; it was too difficult to stop them. The law enforcers allegedly tried to give the property to the new owner, even though the new owner was not yet revealed,” Kakhniauri said.

The Interior Ministry has the same accusation regarding the representatives of Burji Ltd. According to the statement released by the Ministry, the National Bureau of Enforcement was conducting the transportation of vehicles against Burji Ltd as provided by enforcement activities, when the obstruction of the operation occurred from the side of various employees of Burji Ltd and some other unidentified individuals.

“The patrol police have provided security for the transportation of the vehicles. As far as the obstruction to the enforcement activities is concerned, an investigation has been launched,” the statement of the ministry reads.

The Public Defender’s office has already expressed interest concerning the issues ongoing in the case. Based on the representative of the Ombudsman’s office, Sopho Benashvili, the employees of Burji had appealed to the Ombudsman to study the issue. “The representatives of the Public Defender’s office are already on the territory of the company and are studying the situation there,” Benashvili mentioned.

The Audit Agency stated that Burji Ltd, which is owned by Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, registered 239 auto transports, and were offering free of charge service to Georgian Dream Coalition parties. Such action, according to the agency is against the law.

Due to this action, the company was fined GEL 8, 600 000. The company refused to pay the sum and the Enforcement Bureau declared an auction on the company property. The e-auction was concluded over on August 2. A winner was revealed and the latter bought the property for 8, 761, 513 GEL. According to the Law of Georgia on Enforcement Proceedings, the winner has to make the full payment within 10 days. Only after the payment, the winner becomes the final owner of the property. Ltd Burji has also been charged a 771, 267, GEL enforcement fee.