Tbilisi hosts protest action against confiscation of satellite antennas from "Maestro" TV Company

Members of the movement "Solidarity for Freedom of Media" held a protest action in front of the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia against the confiscation of satellite dishes from the "Maestro" TV Company. The protest action was motivated by the decision of the Georgian Court of Appeal, which recognized the confiscation as lawful.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Tbilisi City Court pronounced the decision on confiscation of a consignment of the satellite dishes at the request of the Prosecutor's Office, treating free distribution of satellite dishes as the bribery of voters by the coalition of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the same as the similar attempt of free distribution of satellite dishes of the "Global Contact Group" Company. The administration of the "Maestro" TV Company has challenged the decision on the arrest. On July 16, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the City Court.

Lawyer Gela Nikoleishvili believes that the court has failed to completely analyze the financial documentation and that, therefore, the decision was made on the basis of suspicions and not proven facts.

During the protest action in front of the Chief Prosecution's Office, the representatives of the organization "Solidarity for Freedom of Media" also claimed that the general public was deprived of accurate information because of the government actions.

According to the representatives of the "Maestro" TV Company, the damage to the property, caused by the confiscation of the antennas, is difficult to assess.

"On the one hand it is just 50,000 US dollars. However, on the other hand we have not met the expectations of our partners and we have lost in the advertising potential," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was explained by Mamuka Glonti, the editor-in-chief of the "Maestro" TV Company.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, 10,000 antennas, imported from Turkey by the "Maestro" TV Company, was actually purchased by the "Global Contact Group" Company, which received money from the construction company "Elita Burji" Company, associated with Bidzina Ivanishvili. Despite the fact that representatives of the "Burji Group" Companies denied that Bidzina Ivanishvili had a stake in the venture, the Chief Prosecutor's Office treated the intention of the "Global Contact Group" Company to distribute free satellite dishes among the population as the attempt to bribe voters, and June 12, the court's verdict fined Bidzina Ivanishvili 63 million US dollars.

According to the official statement of the Prosecutor's Office, after the attempt to distribute the satellite dishes on behalf of the "Global Contact Group" Company, the "Elita Burji" Company tried to import a consignment of the same antenna under the cover of the "Maestro" TV Company.

However, according to the official press release of the Chief Prosecutor's Office, at the packages with antennas, which supposedly belonged to the "Maestro" TV Company, the prosecutors found labels that indicated the "Global Contact Group" Company as the owner of the antennas.

Besides, according to the Prosecutor's Office, the investigators have operational audio record of phone conversations of the manager of the "Elita Burji" Company, which indicates that the construction company is associated with the "Maestro" TV Company.

In its turn, the "Maestro" TV Company categorically rejects the allegations that the antennas were imported into the money the "Elita Burji" Company.

Meanwhile, the editor-in-chief of the "Maestro" TV Company categorically rejects the allegations that the packages with satellite dishes bore labels of the "Global Contact Group" Company.

"Those labels could be easily glued by customs officers or prosecutors, since the entire consignment was kept at their warehouse. And for some reason, despite the public significance of the event, the prosecutors failed to invite photo- and TV reporters to present at the act of confiscation of antennas," Mamuka Glonti stated.

"Firstly, the satellite dishes, imported by the 'Global Contact Group' Company, bore indelible logos of Global TV. And the satellite dishes, imported by us, bore no logos of Global TV. Secondly, there is an act of purchase, which clearly indicates that the money for the purchase was paid from the funds, belonging to the owners of the 'Maestro' TV Company," Mamuka Glonti said.

"We have only one way to cancel the decision to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg, since the Court of Appeal has pronounced the decision, prohibiting further consideration of our case at the Supreme Court of Georgia," the editor-in-chief of the "Maestro" TV Company has added.