Issue no: 979 • SEPTEMBER 8 - 11, 2017 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Fires Still Rage around Georgia NEWS PAGE 2 Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey Hold Trilateral Meeting in Baku POLITICS PAGE 4 To Cross or Not to Cross: Saakashvili at the Border POLITICS PAGE 6 FOCUS ON THE EBRD Overwhelming support confi rmed once more by the visit of the EBRD president PAGE 3 The President of Poland Supports Visa-Free Regime with Kazakhstan Cleric Sentenced to 9 Years BUSINESS PAGE 10 Tbilisi: a Museum of Desolation SOCIETY PAGE 12 for Murder Plot The Memorable Debut of BY THEA MORRISON ‘Flight Mode’ in Tbilisi CULTURE PAGE 13 ather Giorgi Mamaladze, who was arrested in February 2017, charged with planning a murder, has been sentenced Georgian Basketball Team to nine years in prison by Tbilisi City Court Judge Besik Bugianishvili. Defeats Israel at Eurobasket FThe Judge has re-qualifi ed the accusation, lift- ing the charges for mercenary murder and declar- 2017 ing him guilty only for preparing to murder the SPORTS PAGE 15 Georgian Patriarch’s Secretary, Shorena Tetru- ashvili. The investigation established that Archpriest Mamaladze, aiming to improve his career pros- pects, decided to murder Shorena Tetruashvili by means of cyanide. The cleric was also sentenced to two years imprisonment for illegal purchase and storage of fi rearms, but under the principle of the con- current sentencing, this minor penalty was absorbed by the graver one and in total he will spend nine years in prison. The detained denies all charges and refused to attend the trial. Continued on page 2 Photo source: allnews.ge GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS SEPTEMBER 8 - 11, 2017 Euronews Reports on Georgia’s Black Sea City Batumi ings, and new ones in a similar style”. BY THEA MORRISON The program about Batumi was made within the scope of a media tour organ- ized by the Department of Tourism of opular media outlet Adjara. Euronews has dedicated a The Euronews crew visited the region story to Georgia’s Black Sea in the summer, during the active tour- City Batumi, spotlighting it ist season. The news agency also as Georgia’s third largest released another program about the Pcity and the capital of the autonomous Black Sea Jazz festival. Adjara region. The Head of the Department of Adjara “Its relentless 10-year urban trans- Tourism, Sulkhan Ghlonti, said that formation has helped turn the city into Batumi has been the focus for many one of the Black Sea’s top attractions,” media publications and noted that the the article reads. video clip about Batumi is also being Euronews says that Batumi Boulevard, shown by the BBC. fronting the main beach and stretching “We have prepared some special pro- eight kilometers along the coast, is the motional material about our city. “life and soul” of the city, while Europe Accordingly, in more than 200 coun- Square shows the new face of old tries, including our target countries, Batumi: “named after Adjara joined the people are learning about our tourism Assembly of European Regions, it con- potential and about Georgia and the sists of renovated belle époque build- region,” Ghlonti added. Fires Still Cleric Sentenced to 9 Years for Murder Plot Continued from page 1 Rights has been violated,” the NGO it was even more unacceptable to fully close stressed. the trial, which deprived the public of the The lawyers of the archpriest say the Georgia’s Public Defender, Ucha Nan- possibility to monitor the court hearings. Rage around judge made an ungrounded decision and uashvili released a statement regarding Monitoring made it clear that the full clo- they will appeal the verdict in the upper the notorious case, saying a number of sure of the trial was not necessary given instance, adding that they might take the violations were observed during the the volume of confi dential information in case to the European Court of Human investigation that affected the court hear- the case,” the statement reads. Rights in Strasburg. ing and prevented the defendant and his Archpriest Mamladze was arrested on “There was no plan to murder…The lawyers from enjoying a proper defense. February 10 at Tbilisi Airport. The cler- decision of the judge was shameless and “Violation of the presumption of inno- gyman was detained with cyanide en Georgia unworthy…If the judge lifted charges for cence and the right to equality of arms route to Berlin, where Georgia’s Cathol- mercenary murder, then what can they from the very fi rst day of the investiga- icos-Patriarch was having a gall bladder say was the possible motive of murder? tion was only the beginning of a number operation. Shorena Tetruashvili was in This is why I claim the verdict was of shortcomings,” the Ombudsman stated. the hospital with the Patriarch. ungrounded,” Mamaladze’s lawyer Giorgi He added that the investigative agency The defense has reiterated many times Pantsulaia stated. has not yet obtained any evidence prov- that the Archpriest is the victim of a group The prosecutor of the case, Zviad Gub- ing the purchase of cyanide. Nor has the of high-ranking people at the Patriarchate eladze, said that the investigators suspect person from whom the archpriest alleg- who wanted to remove him from the the cleric did not act alone. edly bought cyanide been identifi ed. position of Head of the Property Manage- "The investigators suggest Mamaladze “Taking into consideration this context, ment Department of the Patriarchate. had accomplices,” he said. “An investiga- tion is ongoing in this regard. If certain individuals are identifi ed, they will be charged. At this stage, I will refrain from naming this small circle due to the inter- ests of the investigation”. The nephew of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, and Batumi and Lazeti Met- ropolitan, Dimitry, says there are too many questions surrounding the case. "The cyanide case is too vague. Now I have even greater suspicion that Arch- priest Mamaladze did not buy cyanide. The Prosecutor's Offi ce should show us proof of purchase if they have it,” he stated, adding that he had spoken to the patriarch regarding the issue. “The Patriarch said clearly that Father Giorgi would not have committed this crime,” he said. NGO Human Rights Center (HRIDC) does not agree with the verdict given by Tbilisi City Court and says their lawyer was directly involved in the case, defend- ter from Turkey is also to join the fi re ing Mamaladze’s interests. BY THEA MORRISON extinguishing efforts. The HRIDC says that the case was The Head of Adjara Government, Zurab closed to media and the public for six Pataradze, stated that a three-kilometer months: in their opinion, unnecessarily. ire has already destroyed road has been cut to enable fi refi ghters “The Human Rights Center believes around fi ve hectares of forest to reach the blaze. that by closing the trial, the Court helped on Shavnabada Mountain, “The situation today is better than yes- to reduce the level of transparency of Khulo Municipality, mountain- terday. The fi refi ghters, foresters and justice and public trust towards the Court. ous Adjara. servicemen are fighting the blaze Moreover, when it comes to such high- FThe Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) together,” he stated on Wednesday morn- profi le cases, the interest of the public reports that around 400 servicemen of ing. is heightened- as such, we believe the the ministry have been sent to the dis- Another fi re has been burning near trial should have been open,” the NGO aster zone since the fi re broke out last Artana village, Telavi Municipality, noted, also highlighting that the acquisi- weekend. Kakheti region, since last Saturday. Man- tion of cyanide had yet to be confi rmed. An MIA helicopter is also actively power and three helicopters are working “The right to a fair trial guaranteed by working on site. As reported, a helicop- to put it out. the European Convention on Human The doors of the Patriarchate. Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com GEORGIA TODAY SEPTEMBER 8 - 11, 2017 NEWS 3 Georgian Government Offi cials Meet with EBRD President cessful meetings they had held with the projects, healthcare, agribusiness, tele- BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI Government of Georgia. communications, property and tourism, "What we could sense is a joint deter- and in the power energy sector which mination to work towards further improv- launched the wind farm in Gori, which rime Minister of Georgia ing Georgia’s economic performance. is the very fi rst in the Caucasus region. Giorgi Kvirikashvili met with This is also illustrated in the EBRD’s The EBRD President also mentioned Suma Chakrabarti, President high volume of investments,” he said, the infrastructure, municipal and trans- of European Bank for Recon- adding the relations between the EBRD port sector projects fi nanced, and in the struction and Development and Georgia is “really a benchmark”. fi nancial sector, the DCFTA facility signed P(EBRD), during his two-day visit to “I strongly believe that where we are and launched together with the Bank of Georgia this Wednesday, in order to dis- now with Georgia makes this country Georgia and TBC; which, according to cuss the 25 years of successful coopera- very much the leader of the next wave Chakrabarti, will help Georgian SMEs tion between Georgia and the European of transition countries,” which, he said, to reach EU standards. Bank for Reconstruction and Develop- is due to “very good economic manage- “We’ve signed probably the most excit- ment, with the Four Point Reform Plan ment”. ing country strategies, approved by our initiated by the Government of Georgia “I’m pretty sure that our forecast for board last December.