About 4000 accounts opened in bank "Kartu" in Tbilisi within three days

On November 1-3, during three days of the solidarity action, 3932 new accounts were opened in the bank "Kartu" owned by the businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, Nodar Djavakhishvili, Director General of the bank, said today.

On October 7, Ivanishvili announced his intention to establish an opposition party in Georgia to take part in the 2012 parliamentary elections. After that, he complained about the launched pressure on him and on his business structures in Georgia. According to "Kartu" bosses, within the last three weeks the bank has lost 45 million laris of its assets, as a large group of government-related organizations closed their accounts. Therefore, supporters of Ivanishvili called people to open, starting November 1, their accounts in the bank as a solidarity action.

"On the first day of the action, the bank opened 732 new accounts, on the second day - more than 1200, and on the third day - about 2000," said Djavakhishvili.

According to his story, there was no such precedent in the history of Georgia, when about 4000 accounts - let to small amounts - were opened in three days in one bank.

"The point is not in money sums, but in the fact of the unprecedented support from citizens, who are forced in these days to stand for hours in queues in order to open accounts in our bank," the "Interfax" quotes Mr Djavakhishvili as saying.

According to eyewitnesses, on November 3, a new group of would-be depositors gathered near the "Kartu"; according to preliminary estimates, there were about 1000 of them, the "Georgia Online" reports.