Khidasheli Reveals that he Wants to Sell the License in Racha Forests and 50% Share of the Rike Jugs

Khidasheli says that Georgia's legislation and government cannot protect him from baseless attacks.

“Since the legislation, the government is so weak and vulnerable that the winner citizens of the open tenders can not be protected from such baseless claims and fraud, the only way out of this is to stand aside!”, said Khidasheli. “It's surprising how so many liars, provocateurs, masters in distorting information got together”.

The law of Georgia on licenses and permits gives Khidasheli the right to divide the special license of the hunting farm and transfer a part of it to another person.

In March 2022, 104,712 hectares of forest in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regions were handed over to an investor by the Georgian government for 49 years to arrange a hunting farm there. Online publication “Mtis Ambebi” (Mountain Stories) had been trying to find out the identity of the investor since that day, and we managed to do so only after we first appealed to the Minister and then to the court. Earlier, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and its own agency - the National Environment Agency, concealed this information.

The forest fund transferred for the establishment of hunting farming is much larger than the national parks of Lagodekhi, Vashlovani, Javakheti, and Erusheti together. The investor, the former vice-president of the largest Russian corporation, the partner and friend of the Russian oligarch close to Putin, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, turned out to be Davit Khidasheli. “Mtis Ambebi” found out that his family owns the company HG Capra Caucasica LLC which won the auction.

Global Victor Georgia LLC, which was registered in Georgia on March 15, 2017, owns 100% of the shares of HG Capra Caucasus LLC. The company has two directors - Kakha Amisulashvili and Revaz Maisuradze and is wholly owned by Global Victory Investments Limited, based in the United Arab Emirates. The ultimate beneficiary owner of these companies is David Khidasheli, a businessman with Russian connections.

The forests handed over for half of a century include the territories around 79 villages of Racha and border the Russian Federation and the occupied Tskhinvali region.

The news about the transfer of one-third of the forests of Racha to an ally of an oligarch close to Putin was followed by a negative public reaction.

Due to many violations in the case, Green Alternative and Racha Community Organization appealed to the Tbilisi City Court and demanded the annulment of the government's decisions by which up to 105 thousand hectares of forest in Racha and Kvemo Svaneti were transferred to David Khidasheli. Residents of the villages of Racha are also asking for the cancellation of the license.

Khidasheli paid 1,151,832 GEL as a license fee, 11 GEL per hectare. According to the obligations, he should organize a hunting farm in the territory of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti and bring back and breed noble deer and Caucasian domba in this region. Khidasheli is required to invest 5 million GEL within 5 years after receiving the license.

This amount of investment is 7 times less compared to the grant that was offered to Georgia for several years by international organizations in Racha and Svaneti, for the establishment and development of protected areas, and for the economic support of the population. “Georgian Dream” chose a 5 million GEL investment of a person closely connected with Russia rather than the European aid of 12 million euros.

On July 18, after the community's activism, the Georgian government announced that on the 50,894 hectares of Oni municipality, they are creating Racha National Park and Racha multi-use area on the territory of Utsera, Gloli, Tchiora, Ghebi, Patara Ghebi, Goni, with a total of 550 hectares. The bill has already been submitted to the parliament but has not been adopted yet. The protected area of Racha is created in the areas that have not been transferred to Davit Khidasheli. According to the bill, the border of the national park mostly follows the state border of Georgia and includes hard-to-reach places, peaks, and passes.

Davit Khidasheli's company Global Victory Georgia LTD owns the 16-hectare Akhtala resort in Gurjaani. In June 2018, Khidasheli bought the mud treatment resort at an auction for 3,760,000 GEL and was obliged to build a hotel complex with at least 120 rooms, with open and closed swimming pools, restaurants, rehabilitation facilities at the Akhtala resort within 4 years from the signing of the contract (including August 2022). The investor was contracted to plant the yard, create a parking lot for at least 50 cars, put the complex into operation, and start operating. Global Victor Georgia Ltd had to invest at least 12 million GEL, and within a month of its operation, at least 50 people would be employed in the same complex for at least 2 years.

Davit Khidasheli's company did not fulfill any of its obligations. In the summer of 2021, referring to the coronavirus pandemic, the company appealed to the Government of Georgia and asked for an extension of the deadline to fulfill the investment obligations, until the spring of 2024. The government met the request.

The Khidasheli company has not done anything yet. A few months ago, only a sign was placed at the entrance of the resort, with a photo of the hotel that is to be built.