MP Bekauri Denies Compromising Evidence Exists Against Him

In an interview with Rustavi 2 television on August 28 parliamentarian from the ruling National Movement party Koba Bekauri denied the existence of compromising materials against him and said that he agreed to pay to Shalva Ramishvili, a co-founder of 202 TV, USD 100,000 in order ?to uncover corruption in the Georgian media.?

Shalva Ramishvili, who also anchors the a popular political talk-show ?Debates? on 202 TV, was arrested on August 27 and charged with extortion of USD 100,000 from MP Bekauri. Police said Ramishvili threatened to air a compromising story about MP Bekauri. Ramishvili denies the accusations as a ?provocation.?

?The only reason I agreed to pay was may desire to uncover corruption in the Georgian media. I would not have paid anything because I have not done anything illegal,? MP Koba Bekauri said.

Journalists from the organization ?Reporter? were working on the investigation of MP Koba Bekauri?s alleged wrongdoings which is related with the customs terminal ?Opiza.? This terminal, according to this investigative reporting, is owned by MP Bekauri and currently rented by the Georgian Customs Service. ?Reporter? has a contract with the 202 television according to which the investigative stories produced by the organization are aired by the 202 TV.

Vakhtang Komakhidze of ?Reporter? told news agency InterPressNews that Koba Bekauri called several times to another journalist from ?Reporter? on August 28 demanding that the investigation about his activities cease.

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