Prime Tbilisi land was handed to private owner ‘virtually for free’, NGO head

Irakli Abesadze, founder of the Civil Participation Centre, has claimed that a prime investment site of about 15,000 square metres in central Tbilisi was transferred to a private owner “virtually for free”, with the state receiving no financial return.

Abesadze made the comments after Tbilisi City Hall issued a permit for the demolition of the Rike Concert Hall, commonly known as the Rike Jugs.

He said that instead of requiring the investor to make an additional payment to the state budget, the owner had been allowed to sell metal and glass from the demolished building and retain the proceeds.

Abesadze also claimed the investor had been given the opportunity to build a hotel on the site after the demolition, potentially allowing for the subsequent development of casinos and restaurants.

“We have effectively ended up in a situation where one of the best investment sites in Georgia, located in the centre of the capital and covering about 15,000 square metres, was handed to a private owner virtually for free, while the state received no financial return,” Abesadze said.

Tbilisi City Hall has issued a permit for the demolition of the Rike Jugs.