The Ministry of Justice of Georgia has rented the premises for the new House of Justice in Batumi from Giorgi Chkonia's company, a businessman and member of the parliamentary list who has donated to the ruling Georgian Dream. Batumi Central LLC will receive 704,880 GEL annually from the state budget.
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The second House of Justice in Batumi opened in July. According to Transparency International - Georgia, the government rented a total of 445 square meters of space from Giorgi Chkonia at a rate of 132 GEL per square meter. The lease agreement is for three years, during which Chkonia's company will receive 2 114 640 GEL.
On August 15, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze presented Giorgi Chkonia as a member of the Georgian Dream party list. The businessman will serve as a delegate of the ruling party in Kobuleti for the parliamentary elections.
"Business supports the Georgian Dream, and this support is partly reflected through donations. As for renting a specific space, Gia Chkonia is one of the biggest businessmen in the region, so it’s entirely possible that such a deal could be made, independent of any donations," Kobakhidze said today.
Based on the research by Transparency International - Georgia, since 2013, Chkonia and his business partners have donated more than 1,500,000 GEL to Georgian Dream and the ruling party's supported presidential candidate, Salome Zourabichvili, including 135,000 GEL in July of this year. Chkonia's companies have received up to 350 million GEL from state procurement, including 15 million in the last nine months.
