Energy Bosses Interrogated Over UES Entry

(Tbilisi, August 7, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Parliamentary special commission, which investigates the reasons of the energy crises in Georgia, interrogated today Energy Minister Davit Mirtskhulava and Deputy State Minister Mamuka Nikolaishvili, which is in charge of energy issues.

On the question weather they new regarding the foreseeable deal between AES and the Russian Unified Energy Systems, which acquired the AES’s assets in Georgia, !
Mirtskhulava and Nikolaishvili replied that there was no official notification from the AES that it intended to sell assets to Russian power giant.  

However the Chairman of the investigative commission MP Irakli Chubinishvili said that during the meeting with the representatives of the UES, which visited Tbilisi on August 6, they said that the Georgian government new about the talks between the US and Russian company.

Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze also said after the talks with the chief of the UES Anatoly Chubais that the Georgian government new regarding the deal and did nothing to obstruct entry of the Russian energy monopoly, which took over the entire energy system of Georgia.

“Anatoly Chubais told me that Georgian government could have purchased the capital stock of AES-Telasi, but the authorities even did not try to do this,” Nino Burjanadze said on August 6.

The Parliament’s special commission will in!
terrogate other officials as well and prepare conclusion, whi!
ch will be submitted to the General Prosecutor’s Office.

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