How much does it cost to win government auctions? - 8 companies that donated more than 1.5 million GEL to 'Georgian Dream' are winning Batumi's auctions

Batumi City Hall, similarly to the Government of Adjara, is alienating municipal property without competition. The directors, as well as current and former owners of the eight companies that won these auctions, have donated a total of 1,536,000 GEL to "Georgian Dream" at various times. The companies that won the auctions have received up to 4 million GEL from state procurements.
"Transparency International Georgia" studied the electronic auctions organized by Batumi Municipality City Hall from January 1, 2025, to the present, which aimed at the privatization of Batumi municipality's real estate. During this period, the City Hall announced a total of 118 electronic auctions. Out of these, 60 auctions did not take place due to a lack of participants. Consequently, the properties listed for sale at these auctions were not sold. Batumi City Hall terminated 1 auction, and 2.5 months later, it was re-announced with unchanged conditions and was won by LLC "Pontus Gonio" without competition. Out of the 57 completed auctions where winners were declared, 52 were uncompetitive, and the real estate listed was sold at the starting privatization price with a minimal markup, in a single bidding step.
As a result of all fifty-seven auctions, 57 land plots with a total area of 8,954 sq.m. were alienated. The starting privatization value of these land plots was 10,192,110 GEL, which increased by 484,286 GEL as a result of auction bidding, ultimately bringing 10,676,396 GEL in revenue to the Batumi budget. Properties listed in competitive auctions were sold for one and a half times their privatization price, while properties in uncompetitive auctions were sold with minimal markups.

On April 23, 2026, LLC "Opus Signature" (formerly LLC "Opus Center" and "Gtem Construction") - a company owned by businessman Ednar Papunaishvili, a friend of the illegitimate Chairman of the Government of Adjara, Zurab Pataradze—won land plots of 238 and 863 sq.m. located in the center of Batumi (at 62 Alexander Griboedov Street and 31 Ivane Javakhishvili Street) without competition for 367,950 and 1,333,550 GEL, with minimal markups of 10,750 and 38,850 GEL. "Transparency International Georgia" previously reported that on August 25, 2025, Ednar Papunaishvili's second company, LLC "Khidi-2006", also won an unconditional electronic auction without competition for 136,300 GEL, acquiring a 383 square meter land plot located in the Goderdzi resort.
The directors, as well as current and former shareholders of the 8 companies that won the electronic auctions, are major donors to the ruling party, "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia"—having donated a total of 1,536,000 GEL at various times. Six of these companies won the auctions without competition.

- Family members and business partners of Iasha Shervashidze, who won the auction without competition, donated 345,000 GEL in favor of "Georgian Dream" and their supported presidential candidate, Salome Zourabichvili;
- Beka Manvelidze, a business partner of another uncompetitive auction winner, Beka Tvaladze, at LLC "Foris Development" and LLC "Foris Development 2", donated 65,000 GEL to "Georgian Dream". Beka Manvelidze is the brother of the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy of the illegitimate Government of Adjara, Giorgi Manvelidze. Previously, in 2020-2024, Giorgi Manvelidze headed the "Georgian Dream" faction in the Supreme Council of Adjara. The father of Giorgi and Beka Manvelidze, Bagrat Manvelidze, was the Vice-Mayor of Batumi Municipality from 2014-2017, and later the Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports of Adjara. On May 30, 2019, Bagrat Manvelidze, along with other high-ranking officials, was arrested for the illegal embezzlement of large amounts of state funds using his official position and for the abuse of official power;
- LLC "Solid", a company that won an auction without competition, has received a total of 3,861,398 GEL in revenue from state procurements since its foundation. This includes winning 82 electronic tenders without competition, with a total value of 1,107,024 GEL;
- The date of establishment/registration of one company that won electronic auctions without competition is noteworthy: LLC "Connect Property Georgia" was established on January 24, 2025, just 6 days before the auction was announced.