Tbilisi Mayor questioned in his office
02.02.13 21:05
Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava has been questioned in his office in the city hall. Prosecutor Nugzar Salia and investigator Tamar Kuchava have already left the office.
According to Tamar Kuchava , Ugulava was quiet during the questioning and he answered all questions.
Mr. Ugulava said after the questioning that he had an impression that the prosecutor`s office has entered a deadlock and is trying to acceleraet the process.
"It`s natural, neither me, nor the greater part of the society support questioning in the stuffy rooms. The society does not trust this kind of questionings and we can speak openly and publicly. As for the accusations, as though we had employed people and paid them salaries. It`s good that the investigation has given up the idea that somebody has taken away the money", he said.
The mayor added that the accusation regarding the social agents is nonsense.
"In this case the investigation would enter a greater deadlock, because they would have to interrogate over 22 thousand people that would take years", he said.
Investigators and prosecutor of the investigation department of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia were questioning Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava into the case of alleged misspending of GEL 5.2 million by the capital city’s municipality.
As reported, over 300 people have already been questioned into the case.
Ugulava was asked yesterday to arrive at Finance Ministry’s investigations service at 1pm on Saturday. Ugulava said late on Friday that he would not arrive at the investigations service, citing tight schedule. Ugulava, however, also added that he would answer to investigators questions if they arrive at his office in the Tbilisi City Hall later on Saturday.
Finance Ministry’s investigations service and prosecutor’s office have accused Tbilisi Mayor’s Office of misspending GEL 5.24 million of public funds by creating hundreds of fictitious job positions in a municipal service through which funds were channeled to pay salaries of UNM party activists. Ugulava dismissed the allegations as “completely politically motivated.”
The investigations service said that probe was still ongoing and no charges had yet been filed against anyone.
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