The ruling Georgian Dream Chairman and former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili accuses the TV Pirveli of defamation and is suing them in court. Garibashvili disputes the story from the program Nodar Meladze’s Shabati, aired on April 6, which discusses the million-dollar property accumulated by his retired father in one year.
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"We present to the court dozens of stories based on lies and slander, which were prepared by Nodar Meladze’s Shabati over the years, targeting the family of Mr. Irakli Garibashvili. Our goal is for TV Pirveli and the program Nodar Meladze Shabati, in compliance with the requirements of the law, to admit that this story and other stories, in general, were defamatory and served to discredit Mr. Irakli Gharibashvili," said Irakli Gharibashvili's lawyer Amiran Giguashvili.
According to the report by TV Pirveli, the 71-year-old father of the former Prime Minister, Tariel Garibashvili, bought a 50% share of the company Georgian Roots in Dedoplistskaro for 200,000 GEL in February 2023. In September 2023, Tariel Garibashvili founded the company Garibashvili Marani LLC and purchased the winery owned by Georgian Roots for 710 900 GEL. The journalist reported that they obtained a contract signed between Tariel Garibashvili and the company Brand Village, registered in France, on March 28, 2024. Based on this contract, Garibashvili leased the winery to the French company for 10 years for 720,000 euros per year.
"Irakli Garibashvili's retired father, who did not have a business as of February 1, 2023, first earned a million GEL in 11 months to buy a factory, then found a French company to which he rented the factory for two million GEL a year. If the tenant, Brand Village, does not want to rent the Garibashvili factory, it will have to pay a 10-year lease, which totals 21 million GEL," the report states. The journalist added that the company, which officially has a French owner, was created specifically for this deal. There is suspicion, amidst high-profile corruption scandals, that the Prime Minister's father may have engaged in money laundering.
It should be noted that in 2023, the retired father gave 150,000 GEL to Irakli Garibashvili. Additionally, as indicated in the property declaration, Tariel Garibashvili paid 109 500 GEL for renting a government plane to bring his grandson, who was going to study in America, to Munich. Opposition MPs have also demanded the establishment of a temporary investigative commission of the Parliament regarding the property of Irakli Gharibashvili.
Recently, senior officials of Georgian Dream and individuals close to them filed dozens of lawsuits in court against TV Pirveli and other channels critical of the government.
- In March 2023, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal rejected the claim of the TV Pirveli and upheld the decision made by the first instance in favour of the mother of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in a defamation case. The panel of judges of the Appellate Court (Otar Sitchinava, Gocha Jeiranashvili, Lasha Tavartkiladze) ordered the TV company to pay 5555 GEL and to retract the "false information."
- In May 2023, Judge Archil Kochlamazashvili of the Tbilisi City Court partially satisfied the lawsuit filed against Pirveli by Davit Patsatsia, the husband of Irakli Kobakhidze's sister and Internally Displaced Persons Minister of the Abkhazia Autonomous Republic. The TV company was ordered to pay 15,000 GEL.
- In November 2022, the dispute with TV Pirveli was won by the mayor of Tbilisi and the general secretary of Georgian Dream, Kakha Kaladze. Based on the decision of Judge Zaal Maruashvili, the TV company was ordered to pay 15,000 GEL.
