Mtavari TV Goes Off Air, Blames Co-Founder Okuashvili
The opposition-leaning Mtavari TV has been off the air since the morning of February 15, accusing one of its co-founders, Zaza Okuashvili, of trying to shut down one of the country’s most critical stations.
The station, which is now off the air, has not signaled anything except its statement, which reads, “The financial crisis artificially created by Zaza Okuashvili, co-founder of Mtavari Channel, is preventing the News Program from airing. Zaza Okuashvili is advancing the Russian regime’s agenda and is shutting down the country’s leading critical channel. We are working hard to secure the resources needed to restore the broadcast.”
“An explanation is simple: the Mtavari channel has money and Okuashvili is suspending its spending,” wrote Nika Gvaramia, the leader of the opposition Coalition for Change, who founded the channel in 2019.
The Mtavari channel has been accusing its co-founder, Zaza Okuashvili, of trying to shut it down since last December and of serving the objectives of the Georgian Dream party. The channel said that Gogi Kurdadze, a director appointed by Zaza Okuashvili, has been withholding payments to various service providers on Okuashvili’s orders.
Okuashvili, for his part, accused Giorgi Gabunia, the station’s general director, and Nika Gvaramia of “financial manipulation” that he said led Mtavari TV to “artificial bankruptcy.”
“For now, Mtavari Channel will air only pre-recorded programs, reruns, series, and films. We are working to find alternative funding to restore full broadcasting,” the station says in today’s statement.
Also Read:
- 30/01/2025 – Mtavari TV and Co-founder Okuashvili Trade Accusations Over Channel’s Operations
- 28/02/2024 – Mtavari TV’s Gvaramia Quits Management, Transfers Shares
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