Iranian oil is being traded illegally in Georgia - "Mtavari" finds out the details

        The port of Batumi has become a target of illegal activity of the Iranian oil business. Influential American politicians are already talking openly about this issue. Strategic partners suggest that there is an illegal trade in Iranian oil in Georgia, which is facilitated by specific high-ranking officials.

        The port of Batumi, including the Batumi Oil Terminal,is managed by a Kazakh state company. Although the port of Batumi is officially run by foreigners, it is known from various sources that the main figure there is Vano Chkhartishvili.

        Though they  categorically rule out fact of illegal trade in Iranian oil in the terminal, they do not deny that they have been serving companies for years where there was an interest of the Iranian state.

        The responsibility of the Batumi Oil Terminal does not extend to Terminal 1, which is in the territory of the Batumi port, although they operate independently. Bypassing the main port of Batumi, it can receive medium-sized oil tankers and independently reload the product in railway wagons.

        According to the source of "Mtavari", "Terminal 1" belongs to the Chkhenkeli brothers,the businessmen close to the current Minister of Defense. Other shareholders of "Terminal 1" are the General Director of "Rustavi 2" Paata Salia and Sophio Tsereteli.

        According to the source of "Mtavari", former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze also has business interest in this terminal. His interests are protected in this part of the port by Ilia Kharazi, who previously worked with Partskhaladze in the company "Lukoil". Lasha Chkhenkeli, one of the owners of the port, does not hide that they cooperate with Russian companies.

        One of the owners of "Terminal 1" says that they trust only the information provided by the oil tanker companies and do not conduct additional research on the origin of the cargo. However, according to various sources, oil enters Georgia through Russia.

        In some cases, Iranian oil imported in this way is also processed in Georgia. According to the source of "Mtavari", the crude oil received in "Terminal 1" is transported by rail to the oil refinery of "Globe" Ltd. in Tbilisi, the fuel is then sold on the territory of Georgia without budget taxes. Such machinations harm the state budget and competition in the fuel market.

        Experts in the field suggest that there is also a state interest in the Iranian oil trade, given that the arrival of each ship to the port is controlled by several agencies.

        The Georgian government still has time and means to circumvent US sanctions, but not much after the statements made by strategic partners.