Sheraton Batumi Manager: "The recordings have not been deleted, and all videos exist – the footage fully covers both incidents of the confrontation in the hotel"

"There was blood at the hotel entrance, a space frequented by guests. The police arrived a bit late, but all other evidence that existed was collected by the police," the Sheraton Batumi manager said in response to journalists' questions about why the hotel area, where opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia was attacked, had been cleaned afterward.

The manager also spoke to the media about the confrontation involving Zviad Khoridze, a representative of "Transparency International - Georgia," which occurred in the same hotel. The manager clarified that "the recordings have not been deleted, and all recordings exist."

"This hotel stays away from politics. We acted correctly. We called the police, who came and conducted an investigation. Nothing has been deleted; all recordings are intact and will, of course, be provided to the police or any other authority upon court request. (Both incidents’ footage has been fully preserved.) Nothing has been erased," the manager stated.

In response to a question, the manager confirmed having personally reviewed the recordings, which fully depict both incidents.

"Of course, they’re fully recorded. The recordings haven’t been removed since there hasn’t yet been an official court request. We keep recordings for about a month, if I’m not mistaken," the manager added.

The manager also addressed footage aired by TV Imedi, stating they do not know who filmed it.

"Someone was recording during the incident. I can’t say who; it was a woman who filmed the entire situation... Unfortunately, we don’t have the right to release the footage ourselves. To prevent further escalation, our security did its best to separate the individuals involved. Everything happened within seconds.

Naturally, we informed the police, but this was after the Gakharia incident," the manager explained.

Regarding the earlier incident involving journalist Zviad Khoridze, the hotel representative noted: "As far as I know, it was just a verbal altercation. The police were called afterward. Of course, I’m not interested in covering up any crime," the manager said.

The manager also clarified why the hotel staff cleaned the area after the incident.

"It's simply hotel territory. There was blood at the entrance, an area where guests move around. The police arrived a bit late, but all other evidence that existed was collected by the police," the Sheraton manager stated.

The manager dismissed claims that the hotel’s head of security was taken away in a police car.

"The head of security was here until 6:30 a.m. I assure you, he was definitely here. He doesn’t speak Georgian fluently, as he’s not Georgian, and unfortunately couldn’t give an interview. He’s still here," the manager said.

For context, Giorgi Gakharia, leader of "Gakharia for Georgia," was attacked in Batumi at the Sheraton Hotel last night. Gakharia was taken to the hospital but later discharged. According to the doctor, he sustained a broken nose and a concussion. Media reports indicate that one of the individuals involved in the confrontation with Gakharia was "Georgian Dream" MP Dimitri Samkharadze. In addition to the attack on Gakharia, another confrontation occurred at the same hotel involving Zviad Khoridze, who also claimed that Dimitri Samkharadze and his associates confronted him.

Photo: Publika