Georgian opposition channel "Rustavi-2" re-registered to businessman Kibar Halvashi

The Ministry of Justice of Georgia on Thursday officially issued the Georgian opposition channel Rustavi-2 for businessman Kibar Halvashi, who was recognized as the legal owner of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The corresponding changes have already been displayed on the website of the register of the Ministry of Justice, reports TASS.

According to the decision of the Ministry of Justice, the 60 percent share of Rustavi-2 is designed for Halvashi itself, and 40% for his company Panorama. Earlier, television company was owned by Nino Nizharadze (9%), the Sakartvo television company (51%), the Levan brothers and George Karamanishvili (18% and 22%, respectively). Rustavi-2 renewal of Halvashi became possible after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) did not reveal violations of the European Human Rights Convention in the television company and removed the temporary restriction on the decision of the Supreme Court of Georgia in 2017.

Halvashi on Thursday also distributed an application that stated that the channel would maintain editorial independence, but will not cooperate with the General Director Nika Nick Gvaray. Gvaray himself said that he had a contract with the television channel until December 31, 2020 and that he was not going to leave anywhere. Therefore, in case of termination of the Halvashi contract, you will have to pay a penalty.

Nevertheless, Kibar Halvashi fired Nick Gvaray and appointed the general director of the television channel of his lawyer Paatu Saliya. The corresponding changes have already been displayed on the website of the register of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia.

"The house of justice (register - approx. TASS ) was obliged to register this decision. We made a statement on the registration urgently, which took into account the register," Salia said after his appointment.

The lawsuit around the Rustavi-2 television channel lasts since 2015. Back in August 2015, the former owner of the Halvashi television channel filed a lawsuit in the Tbilisi City Court, which indicated that in 2006 (at the time of the presidency of Mikhail Saakashvili) he was forced to give in to the television channel in favor of people close to the authorities. In November 2015, the Tbilisi City Court satisfied the lawsuit of Halvashi.

After that, the owners of Rustavi-2 challenged the decision of the court of first instance in the Court of Appeal, which on June 10, 2016 upheld the decision of the Tbilisi City Court on the transfer of the Halvashi channel. In the same year, the leadership of the channel filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of Georgia, which in March 2017 also upheld the decision of the two previous instances. Rustavi-2 lawyers stated at the same time that they intend to appeal the decision of the Supreme Court of Georgia in Strasbourg. While the case was considered in the courts, the leadership of the channel stated that the Halvashi businessman was standing for the authorities who want to close an independent television channel.