The News in Brief
Friday, August 12
FD Leader Alasania to Stand for Majoritarian MP in Gori
Leader of the Free Democrats (FD) opposition party, Irakli Alasania, will run as a majoritarian MP candidate in Gori, the main town of the Shida Kartli region.
Alasania, who was Defence Minister before his party left the Georgian Dream coalition in 2014, announced his decision on August 10 after the FD’s candidate in Gori, MP Tamaz Shioshvili, decided to quit the race.
Alasania said that his “long-time friend” Shioshvili told him that he was quitting politics – neither Alasania nor Shioshvili himself named the reasons behind his decision, which comes less than a month after the FD party nominated Shioshvili as its majoritarian MP candidate in Gori.
“I will personally stand in Gori for the majoritarian MP seat; we will win in Gori and it will also have a serious impact on the overall election results in Georgia,” said Alasania, who initially was not amongst the FD’s majoritarian MP candidates named by the party in mid-July; he, however, leads FD’s party list of MP candidates.
Alasania’s competitor in Gori from the ruling GDDG party is Ioseb Makrakhidze, a co-owner and chief executive of a Gori-based asphalt manufacturing and road construction company, Ibolia.
The UNM opposition party has nominated a former senior law enforcement official in the Shida Kartli region, Alexandre Goglidze, as its majoritarian MP candidate in the town of Gori.
In 2012 elections, Alasania ran as Georgian Dream's majoritarian candidate in Zugdidi in Samegrelo region, but lost to UNM’s candidate.
Georgia has a mixed electoral system in which 73 lawmakers are elected in 73 single-member constituencies, known in Georgia as “majoritarian” mandates (a candidate has to win over 50% of votes in order to be an outright winner otherwise a second round should be held), while the remaining 77 seats are allocated proportionally under a party-list contest among political parties, which clear a 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote. (civil.ge)
Military police investigating 39-year-old corporal’s death from heart failure
A 39-year-old corporal in the Georgian Army died Wednesday morning, apparently from heart failure.
The deceased is Davit Lomidze, a corporal in the 52th Battalion of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the Eastern Command of the Land Forces, the Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday morning.
The ministry wrote that the cause of the 39-year-old corporal’s death was heart failure.
“Davit Lomidze felt bad on August 9, but died on the way to Gori Central Hospital, which was the nearest medical facility to the 5th Infantry Brigade,,” the statement reads.
Lomidze had served in the Georgian Army since April 16, 2008.
The ministry extended its condolences to the family of the deceased.
A criminal investigation was initiated by the military police department in Shida Kartli. The case is being investigated as murder by negligence under article 116, first paragraph, of the Criminal Code, which may be punished with two to four years in prison.
If the military police finds grounds for prosecuting anyone, the case will be handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Prosecutor General’s Office. (dfwatch.net)
Georgia wins first silver at Rio Olympic Games
Georgian judoka Varlam Liparteliani won first silver for his country several minutes ago at Rio Olympic Games.
It is Georgia's second medal at the Olympic Games since Lasha Shavdatuashvili won bronze on August 8.
In the final, Liparteliani was defeated by the incumbent World Champion, Japan's Mashu Baker, by only one point.
Liparteliani, 27, won gold at the European Judo Championships in 2012, 2014 and 2016, silver in 2009, 2013 and 2015 and bronze in 2011.
He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 90 kg event and lost in the second round.
The judoka also won silver at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, gold at the Grand Slam Paris in 2013 and gold at the Judo Grand Prix Dusseldorf 2015. (agenda.ge)
The employees of the Georgian Prosecutor’s office detained the chairman of “Tabukashvili 88” Z. Tabukashvili
On the basis of a ruling issued by Tbilisi City Court, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office detained the chairman of “Tabukashvili 88”, Z. Tabukashvili, for the unlawful appropriation of a large quantity of real-estate which belonged to others, and for the embezzlement of a large quantity of valuable third party property rights.
Zurab Tabukashvili, 'for his own profit and benefit' and in opposition with the interests of the partnership, signed a contract with Center Point Group Ltd, according to which the founding members of the partnership would be provided over 7250m2 of residential space and 100m2 of commercial space. Moreover, Center Point Group Ltd had to serve as middle man organization for bringing in other members to the partnership and for the construction of an apartment building.
The chairman of the partnership “Tabukashvili 88”, Zurab Tabukashvili, did not ensure the accomplishment of the objective of the partnership – the completion of a building complex and reception for exploitation – and used the authority endowed on him by the management of the partnership for the appropriation and embezzlement of property that belonged to members of the partnership. The chairman of the partnership, Zurab Tabukashvili, instead directing different monetary deposits of the tenants towards construction projects in the period of 2004-2016, or in correspondence with the requirements of the Georgian Civil Code, instead of distribution of the means between the members of the partnership, illegally appropriated large amounts of money individually transferred to the account of partnership “Tabukashvili 88” by separate tenants or directly given to the chairman of “Tabukashvili 88” Zurab Tabukashvili to the amount of 1 048 747 USD and 219 250 Lari.
He also expropriated the 5 apartments out of 7250m2 that belonged to members of the partnership for the benefit of third parties, and embezzled the property rights of the partnership's founding members and annihilated the legal basis of receiving the rightful apartments by the members of the partnership.
Criminal prosecution proceedings have been started against Zurab Tabukashvili in accordance with article 182, part 3, subparagraph “b” (episode 34) of the Georgian Criminal Justice Code, which as punishment stipulates incarceration for a period from 7 to 11 years. (pog.gov.ge)
Leader of the Free Democrats (FD) opposition party, Irakli Alasania, will run as a majoritarian MP candidate in Gori, the main town of the Shida Kartli region.
Alasania, who was Defence Minister before his party left the Georgian Dream coalition in 2014, announced his decision on August 10 after the FD’s candidate in Gori, MP Tamaz Shioshvili, decided to quit the race.
Alasania said that his “long-time friend” Shioshvili told him that he was quitting politics – neither Alasania nor Shioshvili himself named the reasons behind his decision, which comes less than a month after the FD party nominated Shioshvili as its majoritarian MP candidate in Gori.
“I will personally stand in Gori for the majoritarian MP seat; we will win in Gori and it will also have a serious impact on the overall election results in Georgia,” said Alasania, who initially was not amongst the FD’s majoritarian MP candidates named by the party in mid-July; he, however, leads FD’s party list of MP candidates.
Alasania’s competitor in Gori from the ruling GDDG party is Ioseb Makrakhidze, a co-owner and chief executive of a Gori-based asphalt manufacturing and road construction company, Ibolia.
The UNM opposition party has nominated a former senior law enforcement official in the Shida Kartli region, Alexandre Goglidze, as its majoritarian MP candidate in the town of Gori.
In 2012 elections, Alasania ran as Georgian Dream's majoritarian candidate in Zugdidi in Samegrelo region, but lost to UNM’s candidate.
Georgia has a mixed electoral system in which 73 lawmakers are elected in 73 single-member constituencies, known in Georgia as “majoritarian” mandates (a candidate has to win over 50% of votes in order to be an outright winner otherwise a second round should be held), while the remaining 77 seats are allocated proportionally under a party-list contest among political parties, which clear a 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote. (civil.ge)
Military police investigating 39-year-old corporal’s death from heart failure
A 39-year-old corporal in the Georgian Army died Wednesday morning, apparently from heart failure.
The deceased is Davit Lomidze, a corporal in the 52th Battalion of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the Eastern Command of the Land Forces, the Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday morning.
The ministry wrote that the cause of the 39-year-old corporal’s death was heart failure.
“Davit Lomidze felt bad on August 9, but died on the way to Gori Central Hospital, which was the nearest medical facility to the 5th Infantry Brigade,,” the statement reads.
Lomidze had served in the Georgian Army since April 16, 2008.
The ministry extended its condolences to the family of the deceased.
A criminal investigation was initiated by the military police department in Shida Kartli. The case is being investigated as murder by negligence under article 116, first paragraph, of the Criminal Code, which may be punished with two to four years in prison.
If the military police finds grounds for prosecuting anyone, the case will be handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Prosecutor General’s Office. (dfwatch.net)
Georgia wins first silver at Rio Olympic Games
Georgian judoka Varlam Liparteliani won first silver for his country several minutes ago at Rio Olympic Games.
It is Georgia's second medal at the Olympic Games since Lasha Shavdatuashvili won bronze on August 8.
In the final, Liparteliani was defeated by the incumbent World Champion, Japan's Mashu Baker, by only one point.
Liparteliani, 27, won gold at the European Judo Championships in 2012, 2014 and 2016, silver in 2009, 2013 and 2015 and bronze in 2011.
He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 90 kg event and lost in the second round.
The judoka also won silver at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, gold at the Grand Slam Paris in 2013 and gold at the Judo Grand Prix Dusseldorf 2015. (agenda.ge)
The employees of the Georgian Prosecutor’s office detained the chairman of “Tabukashvili 88” Z. Tabukashvili
On the basis of a ruling issued by Tbilisi City Court, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office detained the chairman of “Tabukashvili 88”, Z. Tabukashvili, for the unlawful appropriation of a large quantity of real-estate which belonged to others, and for the embezzlement of a large quantity of valuable third party property rights.
Zurab Tabukashvili, 'for his own profit and benefit' and in opposition with the interests of the partnership, signed a contract with Center Point Group Ltd, according to which the founding members of the partnership would be provided over 7250m2 of residential space and 100m2 of commercial space. Moreover, Center Point Group Ltd had to serve as middle man organization for bringing in other members to the partnership and for the construction of an apartment building.
The chairman of the partnership “Tabukashvili 88”, Zurab Tabukashvili, did not ensure the accomplishment of the objective of the partnership – the completion of a building complex and reception for exploitation – and used the authority endowed on him by the management of the partnership for the appropriation and embezzlement of property that belonged to members of the partnership. The chairman of the partnership, Zurab Tabukashvili, instead directing different monetary deposits of the tenants towards construction projects in the period of 2004-2016, or in correspondence with the requirements of the Georgian Civil Code, instead of distribution of the means between the members of the partnership, illegally appropriated large amounts of money individually transferred to the account of partnership “Tabukashvili 88” by separate tenants or directly given to the chairman of “Tabukashvili 88” Zurab Tabukashvili to the amount of 1 048 747 USD and 219 250 Lari.
He also expropriated the 5 apartments out of 7250m2 that belonged to members of the partnership for the benefit of third parties, and embezzled the property rights of the partnership's founding members and annihilated the legal basis of receiving the rightful apartments by the members of the partnership.
Criminal prosecution proceedings have been started against Zurab Tabukashvili in accordance with article 182, part 3, subparagraph “b” (episode 34) of the Georgian Criminal Justice Code, which as punishment stipulates incarceration for a period from 7 to 11 years. (pog.gov.ge)