Ivanishvili's Statement Offering to Buy a Television Station
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 7 Oct.'11 / 15:12

I will purchase any Georgian television, which has a news programming license. To motivate an owner (if there is any, except of Saakashvili) to sell [a television station], I offer the following:

1. I will pay the price three-fold more than its market price. The market price should be evaluated by one of the five auditor companies recommended by the World Bank.

2. Maximum two years after buying a television station, I will return it to its previous owner at a symbolic price of GEL 1. This term will be legally formalized in purchase contract. At the same time, there will be a contract term according to which at the time of return [of a television to its previous owner] the valuation of its main assets will be increased by at least 15%.

3. Present owner of the television will have the right (it will be formulated as one of the contract terms) to maintain control over 50% of television station’s airtime. It means that present owners of Maestro and Kavkasia TV will be able to completely maintain their current programming (these TV channels do not use even 50% of their airtime).

If there is no response to my proposal, the [real] intentions of these television stations [Maestro and Kavkasia TV] will become clear.

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