Opposition MPs Want to Probe State Audit’s ‘Wrongdoings’

MP Davit Gamkrelidze, the leader of opposition New Rights party, said a parliamentary commission should be set up to investigate allegations that the General Prosecutor’s Office and Interior Ministry used the Chamber of Control – the state audit agency – as a tool to fabricate cases against some former officials.

A former official of the state audit agency, Nugzar Nachkebia, said on a political talk-show aired by Tbilisi-based Imedi TV on December 1 that he was under pressure from the prosecutors and officials from the Interior Ministry to prepare a document incriminating ex-chief of the forestry department Bidzina Giorgobiani and ex-chief of the state standardization agency Mikheil Janikashvili for financial wrongdoings; the latter is now in detention.

“Both of them were absolutely innocent and cases were fabricated against them and I have indicated these in my documents, which infuriated prosecutors,” Nachkebia claimed.

Bidzina Giorgobiani fled to Germany in March, 2005, and is now wanted by Georgian law enforcement for financial wrongdoings. Giorgobiani claims that he was chased by the Interior Ministry officials because he uncovered a scheme through which top-level Interior Ministry officials were involved in the illegal export of Georgian lumber.

“These allegations about anti-constitutional and illegal actions of the State Chamber of Control should be investigated. The Chamber is under the Parliament’s subordination, so we demand to set up a commission to probe into the Chamber’s activities. Representatives from both the ruling majority and opposition should be involved in the work of this commission,” PM Davit Gamkrelidze said at a news conference.

Parliamentarians from the ruling National Movement party have yet to comment on the opposition lawmakers’ proposal.

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