Founders of the British-Georgian Academy and the British School appeal to the government

The founding partners of the “British-Georgian Academy” and the “British International School of Tbilisi,” Natia Janashia and Davit Tsetskhladze, have addressed the Government of Georgia with an open letter demanding fair justice in an ongoing legal dispute initiated against Irakli Gilauri, the head of JSC Georgia Capital.

Janashia and Tsetskhladze accuse Gilauri of deceitfully acquiring 70% of their school shares, failing to fulfill investment obligations, misappropriating GEL 3,200,000 belonging to the school, and ultimately carrying out the “brutal, barbaric occupation” of the business they created and developed.

In their address to the Prime Minister and government ministers, Janashia and Tsetskhladze write:

“Mr. Prime Minister, Mr./Ms. Ministers,

We, the founding partners of the ‘British-Georgian Academy’ and the ‘British International School of Tbilisi,’ Natia Janashia and Davit Tsetskhladze, are addressing you. Much has been written about how the head of JSC Georgia Capital, the National Movement affiliate Irakli Gilauri, is attempting to seize our business-our schools-which we built and transformed into general education institutions meeting international standards. Gilauri, beyond fraudulently acquiring 70% of our 100% stake and failing to meet investment obligations, has sought to seize our business. In pursuit of this, he first appropriated over three million GEL belonging to the school, and then unlawfully dismissed me, Natia Janashia, from the position of director, and carried out the occupation of the school in a brutal, barbaric manner. As a family persecuted during the rule of the National Movement, it is painful to comprehend and acknowledge that today, even as the National Movement faces public accountability, its affiliate Irakli Gilauri dares to occupy our school using methods once practiced by the party-applying force and using police interference to intimidate and remove school staff from the building. It is unfortunate that despite multiple public releases of our open letters and appeals to relevant authorities, Gilauri continues, thanks to his personal connections, to occupy the school and commit unlawful acts. We, the founding partners, are banned from entering the school we built.

We are denied entry not only as partners but also as parents of students, through which Gilauri discriminates against our four underage children. Our children, who attend the British International School of Tbilisi, are subjected to humiliating and psychologically harmful actions by the self-proclaimed school administration and academic director-their rights are violated daily. We have already contacted the relevant authorities regarding these violations and trust in their objectivity.

The National Movement affiliate Gilauri, by abusing his personal connections, has twice illegally registered new school directors. He also attempts to obstruct us at every stage of the legal process to prevent us from establishing the truth and defending our rights through lawful means. Beyond his unlawful attempts to seize the school, Gilauri is undermining public institutions by exerting illegal pressure on certain officials, which calls into question the effectiveness and impartiality of state structures.

We urge you, within your competence, to take appropriate measures to prevent Gilauri from usurping our business and manipulating state institutions. Our struggle continues not only in Georgia but also in the United Kingdom, where shares of the British company controlled by Gilauri are listed on the London Stock Exchange. We have written previously that Georgia Capital PLC, registered in London, and JSC Georgia Capital, registered in Georgia, are operated under a single management, and that the purpose of using the Georgian company is to shield the British entity from potential criminal and other liabilities. Simultaneously, Gilauri manipulates the British company to enter into “investment” transactions using the business reputation of a company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Therefore, our legal battle continues in the UK as well, including efforts to hold Irakli Gilauri criminally liable and to impose sanctions against him there. Legal steps are also underway to expel Georgia Capital PLC from the London Stock Exchange as a company potentially engaged in fraudulent activities. We hope that Georgian justice will be as effective in investigating Gilauri’s possible criminal acts and reaching an objective decision in the case as the British justice system has proven to be.”

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