About an hour after the Tbilisi City Court imposed GEL 126.22 million fine on Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, the same court also approved a separate request by the state audit agency for fining the billionaire politician with GEL 22.42 million (about USD 13.7).
This recent fine was imposed in connection to the state audit agency’s allegations that Ivanishvili, through his two companies Burji and Elita Burji, provided transportation services under “preferential” terms to his Georgian Dream opposition coalition. The state audit agency estimated this service was worth GEL 2,242,994, which it said actually amounted to illegal donation to the Georgian Dream by Ivanishvili. The fine in an amount of five times the sum in question was then doubled, because the state audit agency said Ivanishvili committed similar violation of party funding rules for multiple times.
Ivanishvili’s lawyers said they would appeal the both rulings within 48 hours, but also indicated that the appeal would have no chance for success, accusing court of making politically-motivated rulings.