The Mayor’s Office’s Role in the Old Tbilisi Development and Rehabilitation Fund

Did the Mayor’s Office oversee the spending conducted by the Old Tbilisi Development and Rehabilitation Fund? The fund has been liquidated by now. However, it used to be attached to the Mayor’s Office. The founder of the company NCC Gegi Kelbakiani, and more recently, the former head of the National Olympic Committee Gia Natsvlishvili, have been charged with embezzling funds from the Old Tbilisi Development and Rehabilitation Fund. The NGO Transparency International-Georgia has stated that the investigative agencies should also be demanding answers from the Mayor’s Office. The Finance Ministry Investigation Department has confirmed that the money was being supplied to the Old Tbilisi Development and Rehabilitation Fund by the Mayor’s Office. However, the head of the department states that only the fund representatives’ guilt is evident at this moment.
In spite of repeated attempts, TV3 has been unable to obtain a comment from the Mayor’s Office with regards to the issue of embezzlement of funds from the Old Tbilisi Development and Rehabilitation Fund.