"Hunnewell Partners said Imedi TV, Georgia's most popular broadcaster, was a small part of its holdings and that it had editorial independence. Imedi TV accused the EU's disinformation body of factual inaccuracies and misunderstanding the channel's editorial line. It denies being pro-Russian and anti-western. There are strong and opposing views on both sides, but there can be little doubt that Georgia's future is in the balance, and this London company is part of the debate."
"The country seceded from the USSR in 1991 and there is a constitutional obligation on its governments to seek accession to the EU, but in recent years its politics has been transformed. The governing party, Georgian Dream, led by its honorary chair, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the richest man in the country, has been accused by western governments, the EU and civil society groups of moving Georgia back into Russia's sphere of influence and corrupting its democratic institutions."
An unmarked office on Pont Street in Belgravia, London, is the registered office of Hunnewell Partners, which describes itself as an entrepreneurial private equity and litigation funding practice and is the ultimate owner of Imedi TV. The EU's disinformation monitoring arm calls Imedi a propaganda megaphone undermining Georgia's EU aspirations, relentlessly pushing anti-western rhetoric and echoing Kremlin-style disinformation. Hunnewell and Imedi deny those claims, assert editorial independence and dispute the EU body's findings. Georgia seceded from the USSR in 1991 and has a constitutional obligation to seek EU accession. The governing Georgian Dream party and its honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili face accusations of shifting Georgia toward Russia and eroding democratic institutions, opposition leaders have been imprisoned, municipal elections are due in October, and the UK and 36 other countries raised concerns about the lack of an invitation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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