The Land of Feudals [Journalistic Investigation]

The story of the Sairme Forest and Vani Mountain continues a troubling trend where the state favors the interests of large landowners over everyday people. This involves violating their property rights, secretly allocating the forests locals rely on for their livelihoods, and intimidating residents – many without any legal experience. These individuals are pressured into confessing to false accusations and forced to borrow money to regain their freedom. Critical media and non-governmental organizations are the only ones defending these oppressed people. The system is trying to eliminate this last hope for ordinary citizens through harsh laws, to clear the way for these powerful landowners completely.

The struggle for inherited land

"I am 55 years old, and as long as I can remember, my grandparents always lived here. I also grew up here," says Gela Soselia. His grandfather was assigned as a forester to the village of Udabno, bordering Sairme, in 1947. After three years in the forester's house, he married and built his own home. As the family grew, new houses were also built. "They say we didn't live here. Well, did we fall from the sky and land on the resort? I have lived here for 31 years, and my grandfather has lived here since 1950. During this time, no one came and asked us why we lived here. The thought that someone might take the land never crossed our minds, so we didn't register it”.

Times changed, and the laws changed too. In 2019, land registration became even simpler. The government introduced an opportunity for citizens to legalize land plots they owned before 2007 - even if the documents were missing for various reasons - by presenting a certificate issued by the municipality. This prompted Gela to register his family's land and home.

The National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR) registered the 410 sq.m property within a few months after reviewing the documents in detail. Soon after, they sent a frontman. Gela's plot is located just a few meters from the Sairme Spa Resort's center. The new offer came directly from the resort owner.

“He offered me a choice: either money or a plot of land with a cottage somewhere if I gave up this land. I told him he shouldn't have approached me about this because I can't part with this land; I've spent my entire childhood here, so I told him not to bother me about it." Following this refusal, Gela was summoned by the mayor of Baghdati.

"Mayor said Temur Kokhodze wanted my land for resort development, and if I conceded and sold it to him, I would get a good deal. I told him too that it's my ancestral land, this isn't about money, and I can't bring myself to sell this place," said Gela.

The next call was already from the prosecutor's office. It turned out that a case had been initiated against Gela Soselia at the request of the Forestry Agency. The plaintiff claims that his plot belongs to the state forest fund.

The state accuses Gela Soselia of fraud, of seizing the land on which his family settled even before the first sanatoriums in Sairme were built by German and Romanian prisoners of war during World War II; long before the resort was transferred at a symbolic price to the millionaire MP from the United National Movement party, Temur Kokhodze.

The prosecutor's office is also accusing Valiko Meskhia, a resident of Sairme, of fraud and causing 156,000 GEL in damages to the state. "The prosecutor told us, 'You've lived there for 100 years, no one has bothered you, why do you need this private property?' They sent employees of the National Forestry Agency, they measured our plot, inspected the trees, and allegedly calculated the damage caused. We have planted walnuts, they are 80-year-old trees, my ancestors planted them all in rows, they didn't just grow on their own," says Valiko Meskhia. The family of Meskhias has an exemplary farm in Tabotseti, a village with difficult terrain near Sairme. This is how they continue their ancestors' work. Their family name made the Sairme Sulguni cheese and honey famous, and they have lived here since the beginning of the 20th century, when Sairme, nestled in the wooded slopes of Imereti, didn't even have the status of a resort. For this contribution, their grandfather was awarded the Order of Honor. The Baghdati City Hall itself even interceded with the government for the family back in 2015 to register their land plot as private property.

As if the property issue wasn't enough, the millionaire neighbor sued the Meskhias for defamation after the family hinted to the media that Temur Kokhodze was behind their troubles.

"Someone might laugh - what would a millionaire want with my shack? But that shack is more precious to me than a five-star hotel. That's how it is for us. Some will find it funny - what does someone with so much wealth need this for? But if you look at the bigger picture, the constraint comes only from him, and no one else," says Vepkhia Meskhia.

“I put up a fence around the territory. It was my grandfather's, and two people confirmed it was my grandfather's. Yes, we even used to eat beans together... Well, we all know how these things happen, right?! I was the last to find out that an investigation had been launched against these people." We asked the owner of the Sairme resort, Temur Kokhodze, whether he had sued the residents of Sairme, alleging that they had illegally registered their ancestral land.

Temur Kokhodze: No, I don’t think so. We have not sued anyone. No, no, It’s impossible. How can I sue those people, despite the fact that…

Mtisambebi: Aren't the heads of your company suing these people?

Temur Kokhodze: No, no, no.

Mtisambebi: Another complaint filed by "Sairme Resort" against Vepkhia Meskhia concerns their apiary, which the owner fenced off with barbed wire to protect it from wild animals.

Excerpt from the Environmental Supervision Act: "I arrived at Sairme Resort based on a notification, where I was met by Otar Gachechiladze, a representative of "Sairme Resort." According to his explanation, he discovered that a plot belonging to the forestry service had been arbitrarily enclosed for appropriation, and he requests a response to this fact."

Temur Kokhodze: "That plot isn't far from the hotel, and even if it were a bit further, people still come up there, then they start making fires, binge drinking, grilling meat, and we have to keep an eye on them so a fire doesn't break out." - The millionaire businessman says he’s protecting the Sairme forest from burning down from the very people who have been its custodians since the 19th century.

Tsiuri Pipia had a bad feeling when a deputy took over the resort. She personally showed Kokhodze this document, dating back to 1900, along with other papers. Records from the Kutaisi National Archives from a century ago confirm that Tsiuri Pipia's grandfather lived in Mamaneti, a village near Sairme. "He silently read everything. I thought he'd understand and wouldn't touch our things, but he still took everything."

Tsiuri went to the bank to take out a loan to rebuild her old house, and that's when she found out that her property had been seized.

Criminal cases were initiated against a total of 15 families. All of them are accused of fraud, which carries a sentence of 6 to 9 years in prison. As a result of pressure from the prosecutor's office, six defendants confessed to crimes they did not commit. After plea bargains, they ceded their plots to the state.

Those who did not agree with the charges were released on bail. Maia Pipia took out a bank loan to pay her bail.

Nugzar and Besik Kbilashvili, employees of the Baghdati City Hall, issued a certificate stating that the Pipias, Meskhias, and Tolordavas were indeed native residents of Sairme and owned ancestral plots. These very state officials were the first to be arrested. This was the initial and primary reason that forced some private landowners to give up their land and abandon further legal battles.

The state has the same claim against the Tolordavas – that their plot is allegedly the property of the state forest fund.

“There are two documents, both belonging to the Forestry Agency. The first one, issued at the very beginning of the investigation, states that the ancestral plots of these people are either not covered by forest at all or only partially so.”

• According to the first document, Gela Soselia's plot, measuring 1095 square meters, was not within the forest fund at all as of 2011. However, the second letter states that it is entirely covered by forest.
• Similarly, out of the Pipia family's 2800 square meter plot, the first letter indicates that none of it was within the forest fund, while the second letter claims it is entirely within the forest fund.
• Regarding Goga Tolordava's 1454 square meter plot, the first letter shows that only a third of it fell within the forest fund, whereas the second letter states that the entire plot is within it.

The Forestry Agency does not explain why or based on what they changed the data.

Zurab Tolordava was the exception among the accused who the court did not grant bail. The entire Baghdati knows that the grandfather of this historian, school principal, and head of the Museum of Local Lore came to the village of Mamaneti in 1900 and raised 12 children in a domed house.

"It felt unimaginable that they could accuse me of something like this. I've never experienced anything like it in my life. They declare you a fraud and a swindler. All of this started after these events, and my health deteriorated. Wouldn't anyone suffer from this?! I work as a teacher now, and I've never had any dealings with the prosecutor's office. Then they summon you to court and charge you with fraud."

Sairme Forest Under One Man’s Rule

Millionaire Temur Kokhodze has taken control of almost the entire Sairme forest, 13,202 hectares, on a half-century lease. The "almost" is because it still doesn't include the small plots of local residents who, despite pressure from the prosecutor's office and criminal prosecution, have refused to give them up.

Kokhodze's stated goal is to establish a hunting farm here. However, the residents' stated fear is that their wealthy neighbor will create numerous problems for them – primarily, restricting their movement.

These problems are already in effect. The resort administration has already imposed restrictions.

Vepkhia Meskhia: "Grdzelgori is a clear example. I can go there or come back neither by car nor by horse. He can tell me that he has built this road and I cannot drive on it. I used to go by horse before, I used to walk. Why don't I have the right to pass now? The gate is locked. If you tell them your destination is Grdzelgori, they'll refuse to let you through, claiming it's private property. There's no other entrance."

Despite the fact that one of the main conditions of the license is not to restrict movement in the Sairme forest, this restriction is not just a future prospect but a reality today, not only for the villagers but also for the media. "The entire entrance area is private territory," Irakli Gorgodze, the resort director, tells us. At that time, the "Mtisambebi" team was standing in front of the "Sairme Resort," on the state road connecting Baghdati and Abastumani.

The state sold the hunting farm license while completely disregarding the local population, even though the law requires that decisions be made with their participation.

The Mayor of Baghdati told us that such a meeting took place and that residents of Sairme also attended: "There were residents of Sairme and shepherds who graze their livestock on the pastures above Sairme. There are records too."

"Mtisambebi" requested these records from the Baghdati Mayor's office, the Imereti Governor's administration, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection. None of the three agencies could provide any evidence confirming that public discussions took place and that residents participated in them.

Nino Gujaraidze, coordinator of the Environmental Justice Program at "Green Alternative": "The documentation confirms that the agency attempted to simulate public discussions. There was an internal agreement with certain individuals to invite people they needed, who would create the imitation of a public discussion, we believe, in case it became disputed. This decision was made without public discussions."

We asked the Mayor of Baghdati about his involvement in negotiations regarding the concession of private property, in favor of the businessman.

Kakha Enukidze, Mayor of Baghdati: "Don't you want good things to be done? Soselia wasn't asked for anything. They simply offered a proposal, an exchange of his property for space elsewhere – an apartment in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, or Batumi. They also offered other benefits if he conceded. He didn't concede, he refused, and that was the end. It is in the interest of the City Hall and the interest of Baghdati for a multi-million lari investment to be made in Baghdati. Kokhodze is very invested in the region if people could see it and understand it."

Temur Kokhodze, owner of Sairme Resort: "Sairme Resort distributes 4 million GEL in salaries in the municipality. Can you imagine what that means? Can you imagine what it means to distribute 4 million a year when there are 14,000 residents there? Yes, for the resort to develop further, for the resort not to collapse, and for us not to close, we also need to create a hunting farm and ski slopes. Yes, so they don't damage us, don't grill meat in the forest, and don't start fires."

The locals, on the contrary, see the hunting farm as a threat.

Vepkhia Meskhia, resident of Tabotseti: "Our yard is inside this path, exactly where I'm standing now. Outside this path is the hunting farm, right as you step out of the yard. I live on a hunting farm, I'm surrounded. With gunfire, animal chases, and the whistling of bullets, how can we possibly live normally? How can there be tourism or leisurely strolling? I have horse riding tours in the summer, we go along these roads and paths. I show people the beautiful scenery, and I think it's something dangerous."

Valiko Meskhia, resident of Tabotseti: "There was an incident in village Khani, a bush moved. Some man thought it was a bear, and apparently, he killed a man. My grandchildren walk around and wander. Sometimes they look for pine cones, and sometimes they play. Danger lurks everywhere. We won't be able to graze our livestock. My father chose these pastures here because when the communists were after us, he knew every place – where the pasture is, where the ivy is, where the germander is, so the livestock could feed. What does a hunter know now, whether there's livestock there or something else? They'll shoot and kill our livestock."

The new owner of the Sairme forest categorically denies these dangers and attributes the residents' opposition to a completely different motive: poaching.

"Hunting will take place in a completely different area, where people don't go. Do you know who doesn't want the hunting farm to be created? Look at these…," Kokhodze shows us photos of Vepkhia Meskhia skinning an animal.

"It's a chamois, a skinned chamois. That's why he put up the fence there, so he can make barbecues and start fires in the forest. We live in this country, and we all know how grilling barbecue and burning down the forest ends up. Is it allowed to kill chamois? - You shouldn't kill it. If you kill it, you're already a poacher," Kokhodze tells us.

"Mtisambebi" showed this photo to the director of the Tbilisi Zoo, zoologist Zurab Gurielidze, and to Bezhan Lortkipanidze, a representative of the Species Conservation Centre "NACRES".

Zurab Gurielidze: "This is a domestic goat. It's a bad picture, but there's no doubt that it's not a chamois."

Bezhan Lortkipanidze: "Based on the remaining fur, we can say without a doubt that this is a domestic goat."

According to a government decree, the Sairme hunting farm should benefit the residents of Baghdati and Vani by creating new jobs and making it attractive to tourists.

Currently, there are only 15 hunting farms in the country. What is the practice like? - After a two-year legal battle, "Mtisambebi" obtained information from the Agency of Wildlife:

“Licenses for establishing hunting farms are issued without any prior inventory or assessment of the hunting fauna in the requested territory, practically blindly."

"As a result, the hunting farms established in the last twenty years have not yielded any positive results for the country, not even minor ones."

 Bezhan Lortkipanidze, representative of "NACRES": "I think hunting farms have become exclusive clubs where only the owners and their close friends hunt. Or, it's possible to go and pay an exorbitant price for the right to hunt legally. Many hunters don't have that opportunity. Consequently, we have the current situation where hunters go out and poach in conditions where protection from the state is weakened."

The man who can't distinguish a chamois from a goat is undertaking the obligation to breed two species listed in the Red List in the Sairme forest.

Temur Kokhodze, owner of the "Sairme Hunting Farm": "We are working in several directions, including transferring deer from Dagestan. Once we have the documents, including the genetic test results, we will know whether the deer is suitable for release into the forest. I'm not an expert in this field and can't discuss all the details right now. However, I am currently studying the matter and expect to have a good understanding within two months. If the genetic tests show incompatibility with the environment, the deer cannot be released into the forest; it will have to be kept in an enclosure.”

In order to implement this project, the licensee must spend at least 4 million GEL.

Irakli Macharashvili, director of "Society for Nature Conservation" (SABUKO): "Why someone might want a hunting farm and a license is another separate story and a separate trap in Georgian legislation. Taking a large area of forest is only possible by buying a forestry management license at auction. We might be dealing with that in this case as well."

The businessman doesn't deny that the hunting farm license is fiction and that he only needed the forest.

Temur Kokhodze: "I couldn't take it on lease because the legislation doesn't allow it. We put it up for auction and obtained a license, we got this forest to create a hunting farm and a recreational farm.  It's all part of a complex. I would not spend tens of millions there if I saw that some people might burn down that forest and leave me with only a ski slope, or they might build some shacks next to it. I would not start this business then.”

Mountains and Valleys to Kokhodze

The ski slope that Temur Kokhodze mentions is part of his other new project. In April 2024, the Georgian government transferred almost an entire mountain above Sairme, in the Baghdati and Vani municipalities, to him for 1000 GEL. This land was also granted for half a century through a direct sale, without auction or competition.

"He's taken the mountains of the entire Guria region too. Georgia has a government that even would sell me out today. It doesn't leave a single meter of land for the villagers to graze their livestock. So Kokhodze wants to pocket billions and have a good time? Nobody's going to allow it!"

The residents of Ukhuti, a village in Vani, learned for the first time from "Mtisambebi" that their traditional pastures would be alienated for 49 years. Prime Minister Kobakhidze made this decision without consulting the locals.

Shalva Tevdoradze physically worked abroad for 5 years to support his family and buy 5 cows. In the mountains, he initially stayed with another shepherd, and when his herd reached 40, he built his small wooden cabin. He makes cheese and Sulguni cheese in the mountains in the summer and brings his products down to the lowlands by horse in the autumn.

The residents of the surrounding villages have been using the alpine postures of Vani for hundreds of years. This activity is their only source of income.

"If we no longer allow these people to use the common pastures, we can consider that these villages will no longer exist, which is completely unacceptable," says Nino Chkhobadze, the former Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. Chkhobadze is originally from Vani.

According to the investment terms, the new landowner must build 750-room hotels and ski slopes on this mountain.

Farmers from four regions use these alpine pastures. The residents of Vani, Baghdati, Chokhatauri, and Adigeni have divided the territory among themselves centuries ago. The approximately 1400 hectares transferred to Kokhodze almost entirely cover the Imereti pastures.

Temur Kokhodze: "There are about 4-5 thousand hectares in total there. They probably need a thousand hectares for grazing. There's a much larger quantity there. The resort might need 100 hectares for its development. Of course, we won't let cattle and cows in there. They will have a normal road to ascend the mountain, they will go up in the summer and in the winter, and if anyone wants to create a great farm, I will create a great farm with them and provide all the necessary conditions for them to live and do their work in much better circumstances, those who are entrepreneurs."

The development of a mountain ski resort, where you can survey land, is not possible everywhere. For example, snow doesn't stay long on the Vani pastures and it's almost unsuitable for skiing. In addition, experts consider implementing such a project in the alpine zone to be against the law.

Nino Chkhobadze, former Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia argues, 'Developing a resort there is practically impossible due to the prevailing climatic conditions. It cannot function as a winter resort, that's simply out of the question. While the area boasts unique locations and is indeed an alpine zone, both our domestic and international legislation mandate stringent protection for such zones. A mountain ski resort, by its nature, destroys alpine ecosystems. Therefore, any action or intervention within an untouched alpine zone presents a significant problem.

The media outlet “MTISAMBEBI" worked for three months investigating the Sairme case. Before finishing the film, Temur Kokhodze filed a third lawsuit. This time, the millionaire is suing Vekhia Meskhia, a resident, over a post published in a closed Facebook group. It would be amusing for the village to see how much free time the rich man's army of lawyers seems to have, but things didn't go their way this time.

Zurab Tolordava did not live to see the end of the fight; his health deteriorated after this dispute began. A man who dedicated his entire life to his town was declared a fraud at the end of his life. After his death, his family was informed that Zurab Tolordava would be granted the honorary citizen status of Baghdati.

Author Gela Mtivlishvili
Editor Maia Lomidze
Translated by Elene Devidze