Cartu Bank Sues TV Pirveli Over Ivanishvili References
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Cartu Bank has filed a lawsuit against TV Pirveli, accusing the opposition-leaning broadcaster of falsely portraying the bank as being under the continued control of Georgian billionaire and ruling party patron Bidzina Ivanishvili. The case follows a report aired in May that described Cartu as "Ivanishvili's bank" and claimed it was used to conceal wealth.
According to TV Pirveli, the bank is seeking a court order to bar the channel from referring to Cartu as "the oligarch's bank" or linking it to Ivanishvili. "Cartu Bank has initiated legal battle against TV Pirveli, seeking to prohibit the channel from referring to Cartu as 'Ivanishvili's bank' or 'the oligarch's bank,'" the channel reported Monday. The outlet added that the complaint claims "Cartu has no connection with Ivanishvili."
The complaint refers to a specific segment from May 1, in which reporters alleged that Ivanishvili continued to benefit from the bank despite its 2021 transfer to the International Charity Fund Cartu. That fund was also established by Ivanishvili, and its recent documentation names his son, Uta Ivanishvili, as the beneficial owner.
In excerpts shown on TV Pirveli, Cartu Bank accuses the channel of misleading the public and politicizing the bank's image. It describes the coverage as "detached-from-reality, distorted, and false," arguing that such claims damage the bank's professional reputation.
The contested broadcast referenced a resolution by the European People's Party in the European Parliament, which urged sanctions against Ivanishvili and called for Cartu Bank to be removed from the SWIFT global payment system. Cartu argues the coverage portrayed it as a "non-transparent" institution and constitutes defamation.
The lawsuit cites Georgia's Law on Freedom of Speech and Expression, specifically its defamation clause. It remains unclear whether other legal provisions are being used, as the full text of the complaint has not been made public. Under recent legislative changes pushed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, the burden of proof in defamation cases now lies with the defense, meaning TV Pirveli must demonstrate that its statements did not damage the bank's reputation.
This legal action comes shortly after Georgia's Communications Commission sanctioned both TV Pirveli and Formula, another critical channel, for violating broadcasting regulations. That decision followed a Georgian Dream complaint over content that questioned the party's legitimacy.
Irakli Abesadze, founder of the Center for Civil Involvement, criticized the lawsuit. "It's very strange to see Cartu claim that being associated with Ivanishvili is harmful to its reputation," he said. "But on the other hand, it's clear they are trying to use the Murusidze court to distance themselves from Ivanishvili, as his name is highly likely to face serious sanctions."
