Bakar Chitaia: “Over GEL 5 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of tennis courts in Batumi.”
Verdict: GeoFacts concludes that Bakar Chitaia’s statement is MOSTLY FALSE.
Statement: “Over GEL 5 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of tennis courts in Batumi. The rehabilitation plan has already been completed and work is set to begin this year.”
Resume: The Batumi tennis court rehabilitation-reconstruction project has yet to commence despite the Projects Management Company preparing budgeting documentation in August 2022 for which they paid GEL 50,733. The first tender for the construction work was announced a year later, with an estimated cost of GEL 3,854,018, but the tender was unsuccessful. Subsequent two attempts in 2023 also failed. The company ceased further procurement attempts following the total of three aforementioned failed bids. There are plans to announce a new tender at a higher value according to Bakar Chitaia’s statement.
However, Chitaia omitted crucial information whilst discussing this project during his visit to Ajara Public Broadcaster TV, portraying the situation as if the budgeting documentation was recently created and that the tender for the rehabilitation-reconstruction work will be announced for the first time in the current year. These claims were misleading and aimed at shaping public opinion differently from the actual state of the project. Additionally, the organisation’s website includes information regarding completed and current programmes, listing the Batumi tennis courts rehabilitation-reconstruction project under the latter category. Despite this categorisation, the Projects Management Company has yet to initiate a new tender for the necessary rehabilitation-reconstruction work.
Considering all of the above, GeoFacts concludes that Bakar Chitaia’s statement is MOSTLY FALSE.
Analysis
Bakar Chitaia, the Director of Ajara Projects Management Company, discussed the tennis complex rehabilitation project during his appearance on Ajara Public Broadcaster TV, claiming: “Over GEL 5 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of tennis courts in Batumi. The rehabilitation plan has already been completed and work is set to begin this year.”
The aforementioned statement provided by Mr Chitaia contains misleading narratives, suggesting that the budgeting documentation was recently completed and that the company is ready to announce the tender for the rehabilitation-reconstruction work.
In reality, the Ajara Projects Management Company Ltd. announced an electronic tender for the creation of budgeting documentation for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the tennis complex located on Tbeti Street, Batumi, on a 5,111 sq. m. non-agricultural purpose plot of land (cadastral code 05.30.24.001) near Batumi N31 post office. The delivery and acceptance certificate for this documentation was signed in August of the same year with the purchaser providing the supplier GEL 50,733.
The first tender for the rehabilitation and reconstruction work was announced on 27 April 2023 with an estimated cost of GEL 3,854,018. However, the tender was unsuccessful as no suppliers expressed interest in participating. The same outcome occurred following the announcement of the second tender on 9 June 2023. The Ajara Projects Management Company made another unsuccessful bid to procure construction work for the third time approximately a month later.
The company ceased further procurement attempts following the total of three aforementioned failed tenders.
It is important to note that whilst the Ajara Projects Management Company’s website categorises the Batumi tennis courts rehabilitation-reconstruction project under current projects, the Projects Management Company has not yet initiated a new tender for the required construction work as of 23 May 2024. Furthermore, Bakar Chitaia has highlighted a figure of over GEL 5 million regarding the updated estimated cost of the construction work, implying a substantial increase in the project’s value.
