UNM’s Pavlenishvili claims GEL 540,000 paid by UNM to Formula TV was election debt

Irakli Pavlenishvili, a member of the United National Movement, asserts that the 540,000 GEL paid to the Formula TV company was, in fact, an election debt.

According to Pavlenishvili, signing contracts between different parties does not necessarily imply any illicit interest or undue influence.

“The party has settled its debt, and there is documentation to prove it,” he emphasised.

“The fact that the United National Movement utilised certain services does not mean we are obliged to pay money without a proper reason. Specific contracts were signed. During the election period, we incurred various expenses, which is why, after the sale of the office, we were able to settle most, if not all, of this debt. I believe some of it also covered the cost of archival material.

When contracts are signed between different parties, does that automatically mean an interest is involved? It does not. We have paid off the election debt, and there is clear documentation of this. You can understand that if all of this had been paid illegally, the matter would not have ended with just a warning,” Pavlenishvili explained.

The Communications Commission (ComCom) reported that the Formula TV company received 540,000 GEL from the United National Movement. The Commission has issued a formal warning to Formula Multimedia for accepting funding from a political party.