On November 30, the Tbilisi City Court granted Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze's request for damages of USD 5,545 in part satisfaction of his libel case against TV Pirveli.
Nodar Meladze, the head of TV Pirveli's news department, wrote on Facebook that the fine was imposed because Mayor Kaladze just did not like the journalist's questions. He said that TV Pirveli's current funds are frozen due to another court order, so it cannot pay the fee. Meladze anticipated that court marshals might seize the property as a last resort.
Notably, on June 20, Mayor Kaladze filed a lawsuit against the channel, known for its critical reporting on the government, claiming that journalist Maia Mamulashvili in a broadcast on June 5, had falsely claimed, "Kaladze got USD 20.7 million from one public procurement tender; this is official information". As retaliation for what his attorney Dimitri Gabunia called a defamatory fabrication meant to harm the mayor's image, he requested USD 34,603 compensation.
