The head of Georgia’s fourth largest company, Silk Road Group, has been detained at Tbilisi Airport for ‘illegal possession of a firearm’.
According to the Interior Ministry, officers seized a firearm, magazine, and cartridges from Giorgi ‘Zarala’ Ramishvili on Saturday after scanning his luggage.
Though it was determined that the firearm was registered to Ramishvili, the ministry claimed he did not have the right to carry it.
An investigation was subsequently opened into the illegal purchase or storage of a firearm and ammunition — which carries a sentence of three to six years in prison — and the illegal carrying of a firearm, ammunition, explosive substance, or explosive device — which carries a sentence of four to seven years in prison.
A statement by the Silk Road Group published later that day called for people to ‘refrain from disseminating unverified information’, as legal proceedings were underway.
Ramishvili currently holds a 36.3% stake in Silk Road Holding — the rest is held by Kazakh businessperson Erkin Tatishev, who owns the same percentage; Alexei Topuria, who owns 16.7%; David Franz Borger who owns 5.6%; and Davit Mamulaishvili, who owns 5%.
Included among the Silk Road Group’s companies are Silknet, Georgia’s second largest mobile operator and internet provider; Silk Real Estate, which owns the Radisson brand in Tbilisi, Batumi, and Tsinandali as well as the Iveria casino in Tbilisi and Batumi; Silk Bank, whose assets are worth ₾188 million ($70 million); and Silk Media, which includes the TV company Silknet and the Georgian language version of Euronews.
Ramishvili also owns a minority stake of 15.5% in Wissol Petroleum, one of Georgia’s largest oil companies.
There has been widespread speculation that the arrest was politically motivated.
Levan Khabiashvili, the former chair of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) speculated in a post on Facebook that the arrest was part of a campaign to pressure businesspeople.
He accused Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili of giving businesspeople a choice: ‘either bring money, or go to Irakli Kobakhidze’s office and shake his hand, confess’.
This was an apparent reference to a meeting between Prime Minister Kobakhidze and prominent members of the business community on 4 July.
The meeting’s attendees included Irakli Rukhadze, owner of Imedi TV, the heads of Liberty Bank, Bank of Georgia, Geo Hospitals, Basis Bank, Credo Bank, Aversi, Georgian Airways, and Temur Chkonia, founder of Coca Cola Bottlers Georgia.
Ramishvili reportedly did not attend.
‘Zarala [Ramishvili] did neither of these. Accordingly, they are punishing him for this. If you don’t do it, they will arrest you on any charges. It will not be difficult for [Ivanishvili] to plant a weapon, or to do anything, it doesn’t matter whose side you were on, or whose side you are on now’, Khabiashvili wrote on Facebook.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
