Zaza Okuashvili, one of the founders of the Mtavari Arkhi responded to the statement made by the TV company's general director, Giorgi Gabunia, saying that he did not make the decision to close the channel.
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"This statement by Giorgi Gabunia is a slander against me and part of Nika Gvaramia's plan to present their case and interests in the way Giorgi Gabunia described," said Zaza Okuashvili in a statement published by the Interpress News agency.
According to Okuashvili, Giorgi Gabunia's public presentation of the "problematic issue" related to the Mtavari Arkhi was unexpected and "a step taken against the channel."
"Regarding the channel, no interference or any action has been taken from my side as a partner during this period, and the complaints against the channel's management, which have been ongoing for several months, remain the same.
Just a few days ago, I communicated with a group of journalists and told them that despite Nika Gvaramia and Giorgi Gabunia's actions in robbing the Mtavari Arkhi and artificially driving it to bankruptcy, I never considered closing the TV company.
Moreover, I expressed my willingness to find appropriate support for the channel to meet its needs," Okuashvili stated.
According to him, the problem with the Mtavari Arkhi is that its directors - first Nika Gvaramia and then Giorgi Gabunia - "led the TV company to bankruptcy." Zaza Okuashvili also accuses the channel's managers of money laundering.
"Their activities are an example of how one can cover up the media and rob a TV company at the expense of employees' patience and the current situation in the country, using and turning television into a machine for laundering millions of dollars internationally," says the businessman.
According to Zaza Okuashvili, he personally has several ongoing international disputes with Bidzina Ivanishvili, which makes Giorgi Gabunia's "poorly packaged accusation" about his connection with Ivanishvili "comical and illogical."
"On the contrary, I would raise questions about Nika Gvaramia's abundant and unhindered sources of funding, as well as the issue of becoming the 'main opposition party.' It seems that the former and current directors of the Mtavari Arkhi were looking for an opportune moment, and unfortunately, they chose the difficult period that Georgia is facing today," says Okuashvili.
The businessman claims that he wants "the channel to continue operating smoothly with a full staff and management that will not try to accumulate personal wealth at the expense of the TV company."
On December 11, Giorgi Gabunia held a briefing with the employees of the TV company and announced that Zaza Okuashvili is closing the Mtavari Arkhi. According to Gabunia, Okuashvili is doing this through Gogi Kurdadze, the director he appointed a few months ago, who "blocks all financial operations in the company." As Giorgi Gabunia stated, the Mtavati Arkhi has already been left without financial resources, and signed contracts are being gradually terminated, which will eventually make the channel's operation impossible. The general director of the channel believes that Zaza Okuashvili is acting on behalf of the Georgian Dream and does not rule out his cooperation with Ivanishvili in the ongoing court dispute. On the contrary, he suggests that "in order to reach an agreement in this dispute, Okuashvili really needs to manipulate the Mtavari Arkhi."
Mtavari Arkhi, a TV company critical of the government, was founded by Nika Gvaramia in September 2019 after Rustavi 2 was transferred to the ownership of Kibar Khalvashi. In 2020, companies founded by Zaza Okuashvili bought 40% of the shares in the Mtavari Arkhi.
In February 2024, Nika Gvaramia transferred a 12% share to her wife Sopio Liluashvili, and resigned from the position of general director of the TV company. Since then, she has founded the political union Ahali and participated in the parliamentary elections as part of the Coalition for Change.
