Comment

Nato Chkheidze: I watch and I’m astonished – was there really no founder, director, or manager of Iberia TV, this holding company, or Omega Group, that such a grand parliamentary commission must rely solely on the account of a TV correspondent?

Former MP Nato Chkheidze has responded on social media to recent developments at the parliamentary investigative commission, where a former correspondent of TV Iberia was summoned to testify. Chkheidze questions why such a significant matter as the shutdown of a major media holding has been left to the recollection of a former journalist alone – with no input sought from the company’s founders or top management.

“At yet another session of Ms. Tsulukiani’s commission, a journalist appeared to speak about the time she worked at TV Iberia. She was a correspondent there briefly, and soon after, the station was shut down due to what she described as the unjust and violent actions of the then-government.
She spoke about events in February 2004: how masked, armed special forces stormed the offices – the TV station, the newspaper, the news agency, the printing house – saying, ‘We were a full-scale media holding.’ She described how they raided even the factory, fired shots, and how the accusations made against them were false. She was recounting what she had seen and heard at the time.
And I sat there wondering –
Did this major TV station, this holding company, or Omega Group truly have no founder, director, or senior manager available to provide a formal account? That this commission must rely entirely on the memories of a former correspondent? That she alone is asked: How was Iberia shut down? Were bullets fired? How were people left unemployed?”

Chkheidze draws attention to a double standard: the commission is eager to investigate and document the 2004 shutdown of Iberia under the previous (UNM) government, but seems unwilling to recall or acknowledge the 2018 shutdown under the current Georgian Dream administration.

“Back then, the previous government allegedly sought to dismantle Omega Group. Armed forces stormed in based on false accusations, shutting down operations and leaving employees jobless. Now, commission members shake their heads in faux sympathy: ‘Oh, so many workers were left unemployed!’
But when it comes to the government’s own track record – starting from 2015, when they began systematically targeting Omega – and the 2018 shutdown that still hasn’t been reversed, they remain silent. No interest in recording those facts or employment statistics.”

She also points out selective interest in legal outcomes:

“They want to note that in 2004, the Georgian Dream–led Prosecutor’s Office found the then–Prosecutor General guilty. But they conveniently forget to mention that, under their own judiciary, it was decided that Iberia was not entitled to compensation.”

Meanwhile, legal battles are ongoing in international courts:

“The cases of Iberia and Omega, related to their 2018 shutdown, are now being heard in the London Court of International Arbitration and the Stockholm Arbitration Institute. The government’s own lawyers, as well as those representing Ivanishvili, Fartskhaladze, and others, now complain: ‘We’ve spent nearly $2 million in London and close to $20 million in arbitration!’”

Chkheidze reminds readers that at the time of the 2018 events, then–Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani was reportedly actively involved in the government’s pressure campaign against Omega Group.

“The current commission chairwoman knows exactly what her party did to a successful business – particularly the personal vendetta carried out by their ‘honorary chairman.’ Yet she listens to the correspondent with emotional expressions, while avoiding input from those who led the company. Why would they want to hear from the founder or management, when it could contradict their narrative?”

She also criticizes the superficial questioning by commission members:

“One member, a former Public Defender from the UNM era and now an artificial opposition leader, asked: ‘Did any international figures respond at the time?’
The journalist couldn’t recall. But had they asked someone from upper management, they’d have received answers:
Yes, Walter Schwimmer – then Secretary General of the Council of Europe – spoke out. So did George Soros.
How can one expect a correspondent to remember everything from 21 years ago?”

Chkheidze reflects on the broader implications:

“I remember. I remember both what happened then, and what’s happening now.
And as commission members hear only what aligns with their agenda, they keep gasping: ‘Oh dear! Oh wow! What happened! What a crime! These people still want to govern? Let the people know who they really are!’

For the record, Omega – which was shut down by the UNM government in 2004 – resumed operations within a year.
But Omega, shut down by Georgian Dream in 2018, remains inactive to this day.”

She concludes with a message of accountability:

“Eventually, the London and Stockholm court cases will conclude.
Eventually, this government too will come to an end.
And one day, a future investigative commission chair will shake their head and declare:
‘Oh dear! Oh wow! What happened under Georgian Dream’s rule! What crimes were committed! Let the people know who governed them!’”

Background:
Journalist Vakhtang Khuzmiashvili recently testified before the parliamentary commission investigating the actions of the 2003–2012 regime. He recalled the raid by special forces on TV Iberia.
MP Guram Macharashvili claimed that no international protest occurred because then-president Saakashvili was “their representative,” and such violations were tolerated at the time.