Politics

The people involved in the case of Rustavi2 were involved in the case of Iberia TV years ago – Zaza Okuashvili

Adjara Supreme Council held its first spring session on March 7th, 2017 and Zaza Okuashvili, the founder of Iberia TV and Omega Group, attended it for the first time since the validation of his mandate as the member of the Patriots Alliance of Georgia.

At the meeting, the attempt of the MPs from the National Movement to hang up a banner in support of Rustavi2 TV company, was objected by MP Nino Chkhetiani. She said it was inconvenient to hang up a banner for the support of Rustavi2, when there was Zaza Okuashvili in the session hall, because on February 19, 2004, the government sent riot police to Iberia TV and Omega Group’s companies and that they massacred everything.

“The statements by the United National Movements for the protection of free and independent media, in this very hall, is absolutely unfair, unacceptable and entirely unjust. Zaza Okuashvili is the specific historic memory of how free and independent media was treated”, - Nino Chkhetiani said.
Zaza Okuashvili was interviewed by journalists after the session and asked to comment on the recent developments around Rustavi2 broadcasting company.

Zaza Okuashvili recollected the developments of 2004-2005 in Iberia TV and said the people intensively involved in the case of Rustavi2, where those, who were also intensively involved in the case of Iberia TV then. Okuashvili said they were governmental officials of that period, however, added that their identification was up to the investigation.

“I hope that people involved in the case of Rustavi2 today were also involved in the case of Iberia TV then. The Prosecutor’s office is still investigating this case. Well, we want to accelerate this process, but probably, so many years have passed; this time lapse and the involvement of the former officials, who orchestrated all that process, probably, have complicated the process of investigation. I hope we’ll learn the results of the investigation soon. The court proceedings are also underway and I don’t want to interfere in these processes with details.

As for Rustavi2, the issue has been complicated too and this complication was caused by the developments of 2004-2005. Iberia refused to make a deal with that time government and this resistance brought the television to the reality, when it works normally and there is nothing else to make out and clarify”, - Zaza Okuashvili said.

When asked by a journalist to name the person, who was requesting shares of Iberia TV, Zaza Okuashvili answered:

“I can’t go to specific names, because for me it was a unified, organized and agreed group. It was the highest layer of the government, which committed this crime and those actions brought Rustavi2 to this state today. This situation concerns me too, but this vagueness caused this effect and therefore, everything must be clarified by all means”, - Zaza Okuashvili said.