On 13 April 2016, during his speech at the plenary session of the Parliament of Georgia, the United National Movement MP, Giorgi Vashadze, stated: "As a rule, Cartu Bank does not distribute mortgages; however, it does make exceptions for members of the Government of Georgia." The MP also pointed out that Giorgi Kvirikashvili has a GEL 200,000 loan from this bank whilst his annual income does not exceed GEL 100,000.
FactChecklooked into the accuracy of this statement.
First of all, we took interest in the loan services provided to customers by Cartu Bank. After looking into the information on the bank’s websiteand calling the inquiry hotline, we learned that Cartu Bank does not have a mortgage loan service and only distributes loans to individuals who can back them up with deposits.
Then, we also checked the January 2016 property declaration of the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, as published by the Civil Service Bureau. The declaration points out that Mr Kvirikashvili’s annual income, calculated from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015, is GEL 74,021. Of this, he received GEL 50,000 as his salary for serving as Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia whilst he received the remaining GEL 24,021 as his salary for serving as the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Of the Prime Minister’s family members, only his daughter, Ana Kvirikashvili, received a salary in the amount of GEL 8,400 in 2015.
Table 1:
Paid Work Conducted by Giorgi Kvirikashvili in 2015
| Identity | Place of Employment | Position | Salary, GEL |
| Giorgi Kvirikashvili | Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia | Minister | 50,000 |
| Giorgi Kvirikashvili | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia | Minister | 24,021 |
Table 2:
Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s Agreements and their Material Value in 2015 (Greater than GEL 3,000)
| Agreement Type | Value of the Agreement, USD | Issuing Company | Date of Expiry of the Agreement | Material Result, USD |
| Mortgage | 120,000 | Cartu Bank | 01/11/2012 - 09/07/2015 | 109,482 Expenditure |
| Mortgage | 173,500 | Cartu Bank | 09/07/2015 - 09/07/2030 | 8,545 Expenditure |
As Table 2 makes clear, Giorgi Kvirikashvili took two mortgages from Cartu Bank; in November 2012 and in June 2015 (USD 120,000 and USD 173,500, respectively). A total of USD 109,842 and USD 8,545 were necessary to service these two loans from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015 with the overall amount being USD 118,027. Given the fact that the date of taking the new mortgage in 2015 and the expiry date of the old mortgage taken in 2012 coincide with each other, we can presume that Mr Kvirikashvili covered the 2012 mortgage by taking a new one in 2015.
Conclusion
According to the 1 January 2016 property declaration published by the Civil Service Bureau, Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s income from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015 amounted to GEL 74,021. The expenditure associated with the mortgages in the same period was USD 118,027. It should also be noted that according to Cartu Bank, it does not distribute mortgages to individuals.
Hence, FactCheck concludes that Giorgi Vashadze’s statement is TRUE.
