Giorgi Gabunia, the General Director of Mtavari Arkhi, along with the employees, has announced that Zaza Okuashvili, one of the founders of the TV company, is shutting down the channel.
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"Zaza Okuashvili has decided to do exactly what Bidzina Ivanishvili needs most today - close the Mtavari Arkhi.
Okuashvili is carrying out this decision with the assistance of Gogi Kurdadze, the director he appointed a few months ago. Kurdadze was specifically appointed to the company on Okuashvili's recommendation, with one primary objective - to provide the founder with effective leverage over the channel to serve his personal goals," Gabunia stated.
Gabunia further alleged that Kurdadze, acting on Okuashvili's instructions, has been obstructing all financial operations within the company and refusing to sign critical contracts.
"For instance, as a result of his actions, our employees' health insurance has been suspended. This is especially concerning in the current climate, where journalists and cameramen are routinely subjected to abuse. Yet Okuashvili and Kurdadze show no concern for this, even though they, as the founder and director, bear responsibility for the company’s employees.
Due to Zaza Okuashvili's decision and the actions of the director, the Mtavari Arkhi has already been deprived of financial resources, and the contracts signed with us are gradually being terminated. This will ultimately render the channel's operation impossible - which is precisely what Bidzina Ivanishvili needs today.
To justify his decisions, Okuashvili resorts to absurd, fabricated accusations that I don’t even consider worth addressing here. Their lies have reached such extremes that they claim Bidzina Ivanishvili is protecting us and that we have some kind of arrangement with the oligarch. On top of that, they allege we even communicate this directly to Kurdadze.
Actually, the situation is clear, and the reality is quite the opposite - if anyone is serving the interests of Georgian Dream on the Mtavari Arkhi today, it is Zaza Okuashvili. He is deliberately steering the channel toward closure, and there is a very reasonable suspicion that he is doing so either in agreement with the illegitimate government or as part of some arrangement with them," Gabunia said.
As Gabunia noted, the fact that Okuashvili is involved in a serious legal dispute does not rule out his cooperation with Ivanishvili. On the contrary, "to negotiate a settlement in this dispute, Okuashvili clearly needs to manipulate the Mtavari A," he said.
"The deal with Georgian Dream is not a new phenomenon for Okuashvili. It was members of his family, Nato and Rostom Chkheidze, who voted in favor of the Council of Justice candidates preferred by Georgian Dream. At that time, the government lacked enough votes to secure these appointments and desperately needed support from the opposition. Okuashvili's family members stepped in as a lifeline," Gabunia stated.
Meanwhile, journalists have declared their commitment to continuing the fight for the Main Channel.
