Tsezar Chocheli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Parliament of Georgia | |
| Assumed office 11 December 2020 | |
| Parliamentary group | Strength Is in Unity |
| In office 2 November 2003 – 19 February 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Avtandil Chitishvili |
| Succeeded by | Devi Ovashvili |
| Parliamentary group | For a New Georgia |
| Constituency | Akhalgori |
| Chairman of Progress and Freedom | |
| Assumed office 10 August 2020 Serving with Kakha Okriashvili | |
| Governor of Mtskheta-Mtianeti | |
| In office 19 February 2008 – 24 November 2012 | |
| President | Mikheil Saakashvili |
| Preceded by | Vasil Maghlaperidze |
| Succeeded by | Khatuna Ochiauri |
| Prefect of Akhalgori Municipality | |
| In office 2 July 2002 – 2 November 2003 | |
| President | Eduard Shevardnadze |
| Preceded by | Nugzar Tinikashvili |
| Succeeded by | Zurab Pitskhelauri |
| Chairman of the Akhalgori Municipal Assembly | |
| In office 3 January 2002 – 2 July 2002 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 January 1968 Leningori (South Ossetian AO) |
| Political party | Union of Citizens of Georgia (2002-2003) For a New Georgia (2003-2008) Progress and Freedom (since 2020) |
| Education | Tbilisi State University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Tsezar Chocheli (Georgian: ცეზარ ჩოჩელი, born on 10 January 1968) is a Georgian businessman and politician, CEO of the Georgian Beer Company and a Member of Parliament in 2003–2004 and since 2020. One of the wealthiest men in Georgia, his role in the private sector has been closely linked with the various Georgian authorities since the 1990s.
Launching his career in 1991 in his hometown of Akhalgori with the Lomisa brewery, Chocheli has built a business empire throughout the years that's included major conglomerates, including the Zedazeni beer, the Natakhtari soft soda company, Barambo, and several energy, construction, and financial groups. His involvement in a 2010 deal to privatize the state-run Iron Sleepers Company, Georgia's only railroad tie factory, led to his arrest twice in 2013, although the case made by prosecutors has been assessed by civil society organizations as having been politically-motivated due to his affiliation with the United National Movement. Despite his political affiliations, he has remained a major investor in Georgia to this day.
In parallel to his role in the private sector, Chocheli has also been involved in politics since his election as Chairman of the Akhalgori Municipal Assembly in 2002. Originally an ally of President Shevardnadze, he was elected to Parliament in 2003 to represent the Akhalgori Majoritarian District, a post he kept until his appointment by President Saakashvili as Governor of Mtskheta-Mtianeti. His governorship coincided with the 2008 Russo-Georgian War and large reconstruction efforts that followed and he resigned in 2012 after the victory of Georgian Dream in the parliamentary elections. After a failed run for Parliament as an independent in 2016, Chocheli co-founded the Progress and Freedom party in 2020, which he merged with the Strength Is in Unity electoral bloc and was elected to Parliament in that year's election.