The decision by Tbilisi municipality to probe into the legality of the privatization of dozens of plots of land mainly in downtown Tbilisi is illegal, human rights advocacy group Georgian Young Lawyers? Association (GYLA) said on July 30.
A decree signed by Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava on July 20 alleges that about 50 plots of land were privatized illegally in 1994-1999. It was illegal, the decree claims, because the process was authorized by the Tbilisi executive government and not by the mayor, as it should have been, according to the law.
A number of apartment blocks has been constructed on the disputed plots of land since then.
The decision comes amidst a high profile case involving the forced eviction of residents from a down town apartment block. That case and the mayor’s recent decision will, media speculates, may mean a flood of similar cases in the future.
The decree launching the probe was signed just six days before a new law on the legalization of property went into force.
Parliament approved on June 22 legislation protecting property privatized before April 2007. The law, which went into force on July 26, however, will not apply to disputed properties, which are already under investigation. Hence, the 50 plots of land will not go under the protection of the new law.
Giorgi Chkheidze, head of GYLA, called on the owners of the disputed land to appeal to the courts against the municipality’s decision. He pledged his organization would provide free legal aid.
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