In Tbilisi, merchants affected by fire demand compensation

In Tbilisi, about 100 merchants who suffered losses as a result of the fire at the shopping centre "Children's World" held a rally with the demand to recognize them as victims and pay compensation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 30, 2017, in Tbilisi, the buildings of the shopping centre "Children's World" and the gold jewelry pavilion "Gold Exchange" were burned down. The merchants claimed huge losses and repeatedly hold protest action with an appeal to the authorities to resolve the problem of compensation.

On September 28, about 100 people affected by the fire in the shopping centre "Children's World" gathered in front of the business centre and residence of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili on Mtatsminda Mountain in Tbilisi. "Bidzina Ivanishvili decides everything in the country. He plays the roles of the prime minister, the chief judge, and the general prosecutor. Therefore, we have gathered here today to express our demand to him: the law must be observed," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Julietta Eliava, an IDP (internally displaced person) from Abkhazia, affected by the fire in Tbilisi.

"We demand that in the case on the fire, the court should recognize those people as the injured party and they would be entitled to compensation for their losses," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was explained by Fridon Sikhuashvili, an advocate of the merchants affected by the fire.

The damage to the tenants of the pavilions from the fire exceeds 17 million laris (about seven million US dollars), Fridon Sikhuashvili reported.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 28, 2018 at 11:41 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.