According to human rights activist Eka Beselia, this case is not unique. There have recently been numerous cases of the Georgian government illegally seizing buildings, land and other property from private individuals, large and small companies.

“When the authorities openly use the police and the prosecutor’s office to take away people’s property there’s no other word to call it, but ‘terror’. It’s a kind of official racketeering – aggressive, illegal and purely criminal in its nature. We can say directly that Mikhail Saakashvili’s team is responsible for terrorizing the business sector,” Beselia said.

Some Georgian entrepreneurs blame the greed and political ambitions of the country’s leaders. These businessmen say that, in order to work safely in Tbilisi, you have to make generous donations to the ruling party.

“All powerful entrepreneurs in Georgia make voluntary donations by paying off the government during the elections,” said Merab Janiashvili, from the Association of Young Financiers and Businessmen.

“Just take a look at the list of companies that sponsored the United National Movement. This information is open to the public. All large companies are on the list – from the pharmaceutical sector to road construction companies. And all of them pay no less than US$55,000. These are official sums. We can only guess how much they have to pay unofficially.”

While Georgian officials claim that they have created a corruption-free economy. To those who have lost their businesses due to pressure from the state, it’s nothing but spin. And even though only a few entrepreneurs dare to speak out, it looks like the movement against such racketeering in Tbilisi is getting stronger.