Georgian Technical University Issues a Special Statement
14-11-2025
In light of recent developments, which undoubtedly fall within the sphere of interest of Georgian society, Georgian Technical University issues a special statement.
Since Georgian Technical University initiated an open and transparent effort to reclaim real estate illegally seized by the founders of the University of Georgia, attempts to discredit the university and its rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, have intensified. These frequent efforts use a clear and dirty disinformation campaign designed to deliberately mislead the public.
Georgian Technical University sees these facts as pressure from an interested party. It considers them an attempt to cover up the injustice that was gradually and deliberately committed against the GTU between 2004 and 2008. This injustice ended with the illegal alienation of its real estate and the transfer of that property to the founder of the University of Georgia, Giuli Alasania.
The Georgian Technical University is convinced that Ms. Giuli Alasania, the mother of the then President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, is currently trying to inflict direct or indirect blows on the Georgian Technical University, its rector, professors, and teachers in order to cover up the crime of that time and discredit the university in the eyes of the public and especially the youth.
From the very beginning of the struggle for the return of its illegally alienated real estate, the Georgian Technical University expressed and still expresses its readiness to deal with dignity and legally repel the blows, pressure and crude attempts to transfer its legitimate demand into a political context, which have repeatedly taken place from interested parties, directly or indirectly, in various public spaces, on social networks and, especially, on the air of radically inclined television companies.
The Georgian Technical University is deeply convinced that this topic is the reason for the indirect interest of Maka Chikhladze, a journalist from the TV company “TV Pirveli”, and another attack on the Georgian Technical University, its rector, and scientific circles, which is reflected in the interest of the rector and his family, as well as the university’s property.
We would like to inform the public that the current rector of the Georgian Technical University, Academician David Gurgenidze, and his family were engaged in business activities and owned substantial property before 2001 - this fact is well known to the public. Since the beginning of the 90s of the last century, David Gurgenidze has been successfully conducting business first in Russia, then in Austria, France, and various European countries. In 2001-2004, during his work as a public servant, David Gurgenidze, in accordance with the request of the then state agency - the Information Bureau on the Property and Financial Status of Officials, regularly filled out the “Statement on the Submission of Property Status and Financial Declarations by an Official”, which indicated detailed information on the origin of his property, including property acquired before 2001. Since 2004, David Gurgenidze has left public service and returned to business activities. In 2007-2010, in order to return the illegally seized multi-million-dollar property, which is also known to the public, David Gurgenidze and his family have repeatedly endured harassment, persecution, and numerous difficulties. As of today, the illegally seized property, in accordance with the court’s acquittal verdict, is subject to return to David Gurgenidze and his family.
The public is also informed that David Gurgenidze has been engaged in scientific and pedagogical activities at the Georgian Technical University since 2012, is a well-known scientist and hydro-engineer; since 2020, he has been the rector of the Georgian Technical University, who was elected for a second term in 2024; is the recipient of numerous international awards, an honorary doctorate from a number of leading universities in the world, and is successfully engaged in engineering and research activities in the world’s largest scientific collaborations, while his family members, who are not employed in the public service, continue their business activities.
It is also noteworthy that a journalist from “TV Pirveli” unsubstantially accuses one of the oldest higher educational institutions operating in the scientific and educational space of Georgia, the first higher engineering-technical and technological school in Georgia and the South Caucasus region, which has been creating the basis for the economic development of our country for 103 years, and casts doubt on the validity of the auction sale of the depreciated building of the Tsotne Mirtskhulavava Water Resources Research Institute located in the Vake district of the university system and the construction of a new research complex in its place that meets modern requirements - especially since the depreciated building has no longer been the property of GTU since 2018 and has been transferred to the balance sheet of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. In addition, the alienation of the aforementioned building by auction was not the prerogative of the Georgian Technical University; accordingly, the university administration never intervened in this process and could not intervene.
In order to inform the public about the construction of a new research complex for the Tsotne Mirtskhulava Water Resources Research Institute of GTU, the Georgian Technical University announces that a large plot of land has already been selected in the village of Digomi, on the territory belonging to GTU; a project has been approved, according to which, starting next year, once the displaced families living in the area are satisfied with the living space, the construction of a complex meeting modern standards for the Water Resources Research Institute will begin, where it will be possible to install state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories necessary for scientific research, and the best environment for work and research will be created for the institute’s scientists.
Taking into account the above, the Georgian Technical University continues to express its readiness to defend its truth and the interests of the scientific and academic community in a dignified manner and within the legal framework.
In addition, the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, expresses his full readiness to provide interested persons with documented information about his personal and family, as well as university property, in an impartial public space”, is said in the Georgian Technical University’s special statement.
Since Georgian Technical University initiated an open and transparent effort to reclaim real estate illegally seized by the founders of the University of Georgia, attempts to discredit the university and its rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, have intensified. These frequent efforts use a clear and dirty disinformation campaign designed to deliberately mislead the public.
Georgian Technical University sees these facts as pressure from an interested party. It considers them an attempt to cover up the injustice that was gradually and deliberately committed against the GTU between 2004 and 2008. This injustice ended with the illegal alienation of its real estate and the transfer of that property to the founder of the University of Georgia, Giuli Alasania.
The Georgian Technical University is convinced that Ms. Giuli Alasania, the mother of the then President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, is currently trying to inflict direct or indirect blows on the Georgian Technical University, its rector, professors, and teachers in order to cover up the crime of that time and discredit the university in the eyes of the public and especially the youth.
From the very beginning of the struggle for the return of its illegally alienated real estate, the Georgian Technical University expressed and still expresses its readiness to deal with dignity and legally repel the blows, pressure and crude attempts to transfer its legitimate demand into a political context, which have repeatedly taken place from interested parties, directly or indirectly, in various public spaces, on social networks and, especially, on the air of radically inclined television companies.
The Georgian Technical University is deeply convinced that this topic is the reason for the indirect interest of Maka Chikhladze, a journalist from the TV company “TV Pirveli”, and another attack on the Georgian Technical University, its rector, and scientific circles, which is reflected in the interest of the rector and his family, as well as the university’s property.
We would like to inform the public that the current rector of the Georgian Technical University, Academician David Gurgenidze, and his family were engaged in business activities and owned substantial property before 2001 - this fact is well known to the public. Since the beginning of the 90s of the last century, David Gurgenidze has been successfully conducting business first in Russia, then in Austria, France, and various European countries. In 2001-2004, during his work as a public servant, David Gurgenidze, in accordance with the request of the then state agency - the Information Bureau on the Property and Financial Status of Officials, regularly filled out the “Statement on the Submission of Property Status and Financial Declarations by an Official”, which indicated detailed information on the origin of his property, including property acquired before 2001. Since 2004, David Gurgenidze has left public service and returned to business activities. In 2007-2010, in order to return the illegally seized multi-million-dollar property, which is also known to the public, David Gurgenidze and his family have repeatedly endured harassment, persecution, and numerous difficulties. As of today, the illegally seized property, in accordance with the court’s acquittal verdict, is subject to return to David Gurgenidze and his family.
The public is also informed that David Gurgenidze has been engaged in scientific and pedagogical activities at the Georgian Technical University since 2012, is a well-known scientist and hydro-engineer; since 2020, he has been the rector of the Georgian Technical University, who was elected for a second term in 2024; is the recipient of numerous international awards, an honorary doctorate from a number of leading universities in the world, and is successfully engaged in engineering and research activities in the world’s largest scientific collaborations, while his family members, who are not employed in the public service, continue their business activities.
It is also noteworthy that a journalist from “TV Pirveli” unsubstantially accuses one of the oldest higher educational institutions operating in the scientific and educational space of Georgia, the first higher engineering-technical and technological school in Georgia and the South Caucasus region, which has been creating the basis for the economic development of our country for 103 years, and casts doubt on the validity of the auction sale of the depreciated building of the Tsotne Mirtskhulavava Water Resources Research Institute located in the Vake district of the university system and the construction of a new research complex in its place that meets modern requirements - especially since the depreciated building has no longer been the property of GTU since 2018 and has been transferred to the balance sheet of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. In addition, the alienation of the aforementioned building by auction was not the prerogative of the Georgian Technical University; accordingly, the university administration never intervened in this process and could not intervene.
In order to inform the public about the construction of a new research complex for the Tsotne Mirtskhulava Water Resources Research Institute of GTU, the Georgian Technical University announces that a large plot of land has already been selected in the village of Digomi, on the territory belonging to GTU; a project has been approved, according to which, starting next year, once the displaced families living in the area are satisfied with the living space, the construction of a complex meeting modern standards for the Water Resources Research Institute will begin, where it will be possible to install state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories necessary for scientific research, and the best environment for work and research will be created for the institute’s scientists.
Taking into account the above, the Georgian Technical University continues to express its readiness to defend its truth and the interests of the scientific and academic community in a dignified manner and within the legal framework.
In addition, the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, expresses his full readiness to provide interested persons with documented information about his personal and family, as well as university property, in an impartial public space”, is said in the Georgian Technical University’s special statement.
