Georgian businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili has seven days to pay fines amounting to 45.6 million US dollars

Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the opposition coalition "Georgia Dream", has seven days to pay fines, amounting to 74,325,065 laris (45.6 million US dollars). Otherwise, the money can be forcibly confiscated from the businessman.

"We took that case into proceedings. The legislation gives Bidzina Ivanishvili seven days for voluntary payment of fines, and if he does not pay, then we will proceed to enforcement proceedings," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Besik Liluashvili, an officer of the Public Relation Service of the National Bureau for implementation of penalties of the Georgian Ministry of Justice.

However, Besik Liluashvili did not specify what sanctions would be applied to Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Till present, no comments from the businessman or his legal representative are available. However, earlier, his lawyer Shalva Tadumadze called the decision of the court, which fined Bidzina Ivanishvili, unlawful. According to the lawyer, in all cases of his client, starting with that on the issue of citizenship and ending with the fine, "the state came out of the legal space." On June 13, the businessman himself said that he was not going to pay the fines imposed on him.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 11, the Tbilisi City Court fined Bidzina Ivanishvili by 126.2 million laris (about 77.5 million US dollars) in the case of free distribution of satellite antennas by Global Consulting Group Company. On the same day, the City Court decided in favour of the Control Chamber of Georgia on the administrative case of service of the political coalition "Georgian Dream" by the companies "Burji" and "Elita Burji" and fined Bidzina Ivanishvili more 22.4 million laris (about 13.6 million US dollars).

On June 13, the decisions of the City Court were challenged at the Tbilisi Court of Appeal. On June 15, the Court partially granted lawsuits and reduced the fine from 148.4 million laris (91.1 million US dollars) to 74.3 million laris (about 46 million US dollars).

Besides, the Court also reduced by half the fine in the case of preferential service of the coalition "Georgian Dream" by cars of the companies "Burji" and "Elita Burji". However, Bidzina Ivanishvili was imposed the costs of the forensic examination in the amount of 2000 laris.