When driving Maro Makashvili Rise from the Tbilisi center to Mtatsminda, there is an imposing building overlooking Tbilisi that belongs to Georgia’s richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili. Ivanishvili is a controversial figure from the northwestern Georgian region of Zemo Imereti who managed to amass a fortune in Russia in the 90s. Without disclosing his identity, he was one of the major donors behind Saakashvili’s government when they managed to defeat Shevardnadze in 2004 elections.
During Saakashvili’s administration, Ivanishvili actively supported government entities and representatives of culture and sport by channeling his private funds either in the form of funding or pensions. Things started to change in 2010 when a rift with Georgia’s President Saakashvili began. Saakashvili was becoming increasingly authoritarian, forcing Ivanishvili to move to the opposition, creating a coalition of opposition parties and ultimately winning the elections in 2012. He himself served as Prime Minister from 2012 to 2013 in the beginning of his coalition’s rule, later leaving power but indirectly managing all the following Prime Ministers and hence the government.
The futuristic complex that was designed by a Japanese architect Shin Takamatsu in the 90s is the present residence of Ivanishvili, where he in the past carried out consultations with political leaders and later even ruled the country for a time. Unlike the houses of many state leaders, the area can be easily examined from outside both from the side of Tbilisi and the Botanic Garden. While there are some guards walking around, the security next to the building seems quite lax and the building can easily be examined from a closer distance.
