Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the Georgian Mtavari TV channel, on Tuesday admitted political preferences of the channel in favor of the domestic opposition, bud said he disliked the latest claims by the current director of the channel, Giorgi Gabunia, on Monday that the media outlet had been “fairly labeled” as the channel of the United National Movement opposition party. 

Gvaramia, a former official under the UNM authorities who was convicted for abuse of power while at the helm of Rustavi 2 TV channel last year and was pardoned by President Salome Zourabichvili in June, said in his comments he had “never hid” the political preferences of the channel he founded in 2019, following the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that returned 100 percent of Rustavi 2 shares to its former owner. 

However, Gvaramia claimed the channel had not acted as an “addition” of any political group, and he had “always tried” to protect his journalists from influences both from the opposition and the Government. 

He added he was the “first media manager in the country” who openly declared the channel as opposition-minded to “prevent any speculations”, unlike Imedi TV, who he said was under the Government's influence and funded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the former Prime Minister described as a “shadow ruler” of the country by the opposition. 

Speaking about Gabunia, Gvaramia said he had the right to “make mistakes” and the “responsibility” to correct them. 

In his TV monologue on Monday Gabunia, who was appointed as the channel’s director after Gvaramia’s pardon, announced “fundamental, not cosmetic” changes in the media company to “remove the label of the UNM’s channel”. He noted the process would be long. 

Eka Kvesitadze, the TV presenter, immediately responded to Gabunia’s claims and called them “insulting”.