Imedi TV owner alleges $8M extortion demand for associates’ release in 2011 under former UNM Gov’t

Irakli Rukhadze, the owner of Imedi TV and a prominent Georgian businessman, on Wednesday testified before the Temporary Parliamentary Investigative Commission, recounting instances of pressure exerted by the former United National Movement Government on his associates. His testimony shed light on intimidation tactics and demands for money during that period.

Rukhadze recounted that in 2011, his cousin and close friends were arrested in an effort to coerce him into paying $8 million for their release.

He explained that this pressure stemmed from his active fight from abroad to reclaim assets, primarily Imedi TV, that had been seized by the then-Government.

“In 2011, my cousin and several friends were arrested because of me. I was asked to pay $8 million for their release. That was the kind of time we were living in. We were actively fighting from abroad against the Georgian Government, which had taken Imedi TV and nearly all of our assets. Our fight was for the return of those assets”, he said.

“We took our fight to international arbitration courts after exhausting all legal avenues within Georgia. We pursued every legal mechanism available to reclaim what was taken from us”, Rukhadze continued.

He stressed that the arrests were politically motivated and part of a broader strategy of intimidation that dated back to 2007.

“In 2011, they detained my cousin, a friend, and a business partner - completely without justification”, he noted, referencing Georgia’s notorious 0.1% acquittal rate during that period, which drew international criticism.

In response, Rukhadze and his allies enlisted high-level legal and political support, including a former chief counsel to the White House who had led Barack Obama’s campaign. Through this lobbying effort, then-US Secretary of State John Kerry intervened multiple times.

“After being misled twice by [then-President] Saakashvili, Kerry demanded a direct phone call with the released detainees from the Marriott Hotel in Tbilisi to confirm they were indeed released”, Rukhadze recalled.

He stressed that without such high-profile international involvement, the Georgian authorities would have continued their pressure campaign, possibly detaining more individuals in an attempt to force asset forfeiture.