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Rail Network Still Up For Grabs

Signalling that an earlier deal with a mysterious company, Parkfield Investment, has fallen through, the Georgian government is set to announce a tender for the management rights of the Georgian Railway, reports say.


The Ministry of Economy has yet to officially confirm the reports, but sources familiar with the matter say a final decision on who will manage the rail network will be made within the next three months. Parkfield Investment refused to comment on the issue on October 24.


According to a decree signed by Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli on August 16, management rights of the Georgian Railway was handed over to UK-based Parkfield Investment for the following 99 years.


Both the company and the Georgian authorities were tight-lipped about who were behind Parkfield Investment. The lack of information created a vacuum that was filled by speculation that several Moscow-based businessmen of Georgian origin and business and media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili were behind the deal. Patarkatsishvili, so the speculation went, allegedly agreed to swap his media outlets for the rail network.


Patarkatsishvili has since strongly refuted such suggestions. In October, when Patarkatsishvili became involved in a political standoff with the authorities, he did, however, say that previously the government had offered him ?numerous lucrative proposals? in exchange for Imedi TV and radio stations. But he declined to elaborate further on these ?lucrative proposals.?

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)

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