Justice

How 4 million was taken from TBC Bank – Levan Kipiani recollects the details of cash withdrawal

Former minister of sports Levan Kipiani has described the episode of cash withdrawal from TBC Bank in the testimony given to the prosecution regarding the investigation of the case of Omega Group.

“As for the moment of cash withdrawal from bank in April 2016, I absolutely do not understand what is scandalous in this action. Okuashvili told me he would transfer money from the account of an offshore company and asked me to help the directorate, who were the representatives of Omega, in taking cash quickly from the account. It was my duty and there was nothing out of the ordinary in this assignment. Generally, in that period, Okuashvili used to operate with cash not only for personal expenditures, but also for business. I remember that he was building something in Mskheta and he covered most of the expenditures in cash. This happened so because if the money was transferred to the account of Omega Group’s companies, it might have been driven in favor of budget. At the same time, in that period Omega Group had taken debt from the Bank of Georgia, which demanded its payment, therefore, if money was transferred to the accounts of Omega Group’s companies, it would enable the Bank of Georgia to attach its accounts.

To cut it short, in April 2016, before his departure to London, Zaza Okuashvili met me at the office and told me that he needed “cashing” of money and as he would be abroad, asked me to look after the guys to ensure they would have no problems. He also told me that he was appointing ordinary employs of Omega, Khachishvili and Pankvelashvili as directors.

In April 2016, I am not sure about the dates, because the cash was taken twice and it was taken by the company director, Aleksandre Khachishvili. I went to the head office of TBC Bank situated on K. Marjanishvili Street together with Nikoloz Asanidze, Giorgi Kurdadze, Davit Pankvelashvili and Aleksandre Khachishvili. At first the operations manager of TBC Bank refused to cash such amount of money at once, but as Zaza Okuashvili and in general, our group were the customers of TBC Bank, the bank considered our request and issued the cash quickly. I did not have contact with the “cashed” money and in both occasions, the money was returned to the BMW center owned by Okuashvili, as I remember. The transportation of the cash was also organized by Okuashvili (vehicle ad etc), but as I did not accompany the cash, I am not sure where this cash was taken, to BMW center or any other office, for instance, to Iberia”, - Levan Kipiani has testified.