Who owns Imedi? – an interview with Irakliy Moseshvili

The row over “The chronicles of the terrible future” program which was aired by the Imedi TV company is going from bad to worse. The scandal has been rekindled by a recording of a telephone talk between Georgy Arveladze, the head of the Georgian Imedi Production Group, and the program’s presenter Ekaterina Tsamalashvili.


The conversation appeared in the Internet from nowhere. According to it, Saakashvili not only knew about the preparation of the program, but also insisted on it being as realistic and shocking as possible.
 

In the midst of the scandal, nobody is interested in the tragic destiny of Imedi itself – supposedly one of the best television Georgian broadcasters (if not the best) in terms of artistic concept and professionalism of its TV team. It’s quite doubtful that “The Chronicles” could have produced such an effect and caused worldwide scandal if it hadn’t been created by talented people who know their stuff.

The issue of the future of Imedi, which was founded in 2001 by the late businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili and is now controlled by mysterious businessmen close to the authorities became most painful for the journalists who quit the TV company during the conflict between the authority and the opposition in 2007. One of them, Irakliy Moseshvili now represents the opposition in the commission on communications management which is working on Internet media issues. During an interview with VC, Moseshvili said that during the commission’s meeting he had opposed any sanctions against “Imedi”.

- Mr. Moseshvili exactly what articles of the Code of broadcasters have been violated by the “Imedi” broadcaster with “The chronicles of the terrible future”?

Paragraph 15 of article 13 of the Code of broadcasters of Georgia has been violated. This paragraph says that in information or information-analysis programs any simulation of events or their modeling such as done by  Imedi on March, 13 are not recommended. Meanwhile, the Code requires that if the company after all considers modeling necessary then the information that it is a simulation should be present at all times.
 

Of course, the law provides sanctions in case of the violation of the Code, but not of the abovementioned article. The Code of broadcasters establishes that the question of modeling is fully within the bounds of the self-regulation of the broadcaster, so in this case only television can limit itself if it doesn’t want to violate the Code. As for the other articles of the Code they envisage different sanctions – from fines to a temporary suspension or withdrawal of the license.

But I’m totally against the withdrawal of the license from Imedi or its bankrupting through imposing fines upon it. In different countries, heirs of Bardi Patarkatsishvili litigate with businessmen Joseph Key, who took possession of the Imedi after the businessman’s death. It may turn out that court will hand over Imedi to its legal owners, the heirs of Patarkatsishvili that is, to his family. But if Imedi doesn’t have a license they will get merely the building and the some of the equipment. I suppose this would be wrong.

- And what can you say about the company’s destiny?

- I can just express my personal opinion, not one as a commission member, but as a citizen and a journalist who worked at Imedi for three years. I’ve been watching with regret the things that have happened to it during the last few years. We, that is journalists, protested in 2007, while working at Imedi because we didn’t want the company to be associated with one or another political line or any particular politician. Eventually, we managed to make Imedi the most objective and neutral TV company at that time

- And who actually owns “Imedi” now?

Legally, this data is public, but there is no telling what percentage of shares is owned by any owner. In Patarkatsishvili’s time there was a very complicated mechanism. At the end of 2007, Imedi belonged to Patarkatsishvili (51%) and the American “News Corp” of Rupert Murdoch (49%).


After Patarkatsishvili’s death, the formal company’s owner Gogi Jaoshvili handed Imedi over (according to him under pressure) to a relative of Patarkatsishvili’s,  an American businessman Joseph Key (Iosef Kakalashvili). In turn, Key handed over the control packet of shares to the group “Rakin”. According to the latest information, nowadays the “Imedi” belongs to the Georgian Media Production Group. Its cofounders are different partners but I don’t know the ratio of their shares.


I repeat, legally this is open information and every interested person can learn which company owns the Imedi. According to the law anyone can submit a query to the Commission on communications management and get information.

 - So it is possible to get information concerning the name of the company owning Imedi, but not to find out who is the founder of that company, and thus who exactly owns Imedi. Who is he – a citizen of Georgia or of some other country? Who is this man or this group of persons?

- Indeed, according to Georgian law it’s very difficult to “track down” the particular person who is the founder of the company, the owner. So there are very few people who know who the Imedi owner is. It’s necessary to change the legislation for this information to become open and accessible for the public at large.

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for VC.