Georgia loses GEL 2 million as a result of a deal with Davit Khidasheli
Tbilisi. From September 2021 to March 2022 Georgian decision-makers had two concrete proposals on the table regarding the forest in Racha:
1. The first proposal came from a businessman with Russian ties who had not fulfilled his previous obligations to the State and who offered to pay GEL 11 per hectare.
2. The second proposal came from a reputable international fund that has previously invested EUR 8.5 million in the conservation of Georgia’s nature and is paying a guaranteed USD 45 (about GEL 149.2) per hectare, or 13 times as much as the first proposal.
It should have been simple to make a decision that would bring the State the maximum benefit – specifically, the creation of a protected area with maximum territory and, only after this, the issuance of a hunting license for the remaining territory. With the decision that was made, the Georgian State lost a revenue of about GEL 2,057,593.
The organization calls on the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia to launch an investigation and to establish whether the decisions related to the management of the forest in Racha contain signs of corruption.
Source: transparency.ge
