On 15 February 2018, the State Audit Office published a compliance audit report assessing the management of property owned by Tbilisi Municipality in 2015-2016. Among other issues, the report covers two cases related to former Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze's company, BSR-CDG Development, LLC.

Specifically, according to the audit conclusion, in the first case, this company received approximately 3,500 sq. m of land through a competition-free auction, as a result of which the Mayor's Office lost an opportunity to receive additional income. In the second case, in exchange for a land plot owned by this company on which a road had been built, the Municipality gave BSR-CDG Development three land plots on a different territory. The process got protracted over several years, due to which the company paid a lot less to cover the difference in the cost of these land plots than it would had the procedure been competed in a timely manner.

Considering all of the above, it becomes clear that the relevant agencies of Tbilisi Municipality have been managing the city property in an inefficient manner. This could, among other things, have been the result of a certain corrupt deal made with BSR-CDG Development. These circumstances are exacerbated by the fact that, last year, Otar Partskhaladze physically assaulted former Auditor Lasha Tordia, most likely because of his work on this report. The investigation of this case is still under way.

We call on the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia:

• To start, based on the conclusion by the State Audit Office, the investigation of the unlawful transfer of property to BSR-CDG Development by corresponding agencies of Tbilisi Municipality;
• To inform the public about the available results of the ongoing investigation of the violent attack against Lasha Tordia.

Transparency International Georgia

Media Development Foundation

Economic Policy Research Center

Civil Development Agency

Institute for Democracy and Safe Development

Human Rights and Monitoring Center - EMC