Head of opposition-minded Mtavari channel Gvaramia convicted

Head of the opposition-minded Mtavari channel, former high-ranking official under the United National Movement (UNM) government, Nika Gvaramia, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for abuse of authority while running Rustavi 2 TV back in 2019.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia filed charges against Gvaramia, as well as Kakha Damenia, former financial director of Rustavi 2, and Zurab Iashvili, director of Inter Media Plus back on September 6, 2020.

Gvaramia was accused of embezzling large amounts of property belonging to Rustavi 2, commercial bribery and forging official documents, and legalizing illegal income by a group with a preliminary agreement. He was also accused of abuse of power.

The judge of Tbilisi City Court Kakhaber Damenia found Gvaramia guilty of only abuse of authority on Monday, while Damenia was fined 50,000 GEL.

The judge acquitted the third defendant in the case, Iashvili.

Gvaramia said that he is politically persecuted by the Georgian Dream authorities.