According to the founder of the “Mtavari Arkhi”, Zaza Oquashvili, the decision to close the channel has not been made.
Oquashvili releases a statement in which he accuses the director of the “Mtavari Arkhi”, Giorgi Gabunia, of slander. Oquashvili also speaks about the bankruptcy of the TV company by Gabunia and the former director of the channel, Nika Gvaramia.
“In response to Giorgi Gabunia’s statement, I declare that I did not make the decision to close the “Mtavari Arkhi”, and this statement by Giorgi Gabunia is a slander against me and part of Nika Gvaramia’s plan to package their case and interests in the way that Giorgi Gabunia presented them.
The problematic issue related to the "Mtavari Arkhi”, which Nika Gvaramia and Giorgi Gabunia so unexpectedly brought up in public today, does not serve the interests of the channel and is a step taken against it. No disruptive or current steps have been taken by me, as a partner, regarding the channel, and the complaints that have existed against the channel’s management for several months remain the same.
Just a few days ago, I had a conversation with a group of journalists and told them that despite Nika Gvaramia and Giorgi Gabunia’s plundering of the “Mtavari Arkhi" and artificially driving it to bankruptcy, I have not even thought about closing the TV company. Moreover, I have expressed my readiness to provide the channel with appropriate support to ensure its needs.
The problem with the “Mtavari Arkhi” is that the directors – first Nika Gvaramia and then Giorgi Gabunia – brought the TV company to bankruptcy. Their activities are an example of how one can shelter the media and rob the TV company at the expense of the patience of employees and the current situation in the country, using and turning television into a machine for laundering millions of dollars on an international scale.
I would like to remind the public that I personally am conducting several ongoing international disputes against Bidzina Ivanishvili, and Giorgi Gabunia’s poorly packaged accusations against me about my connection to Ivanishvili are comical and devoid of logic. On the contrary, I would ask questions about Nika Gvaramia’s abundant and unhindered sources of funding and the issue of becoming the “main opposition party.”
It seems that the former and current directors of the “Mtavari Arkhi” were looking for a favorable moment and unfortunately chose the difficult period that Georgia is going through today for this.
My wish is for the channel to continue its work without interruption with its full staff and management, which will not try to accumulate personal wealth at the expense of the TV company,” says Zaza Oquashvili.
