US State Department Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator Visits Georgia
The U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator, Richard Nephew, is visiting Georgia on January 17-18. During the visit, Richard Nephew has already met with the Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, the Head of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili, the First Deputy Head of State Security Service, Aleksi Batiashvili, the First Deputy Prosecutor General, Bakur Abuladze, and the representatives of local CSOs.
Meeting with Parliament Speaker
Richard Nephew met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili.
According to the Parliament’s press release, Papuashvili spoke about the reforms Georgia has implemented in recent years, including the fight against corruption. He also talked about the progress Georgia has made on its way to European integration, as well as the international rankings that prove this progress.
Nephew congratulated Papuashvili on Georgia’s EU candidacy, and positively assessed the progress made by Georgia. According to him, the fight against corruption is one of the main priorities for the national security of the United States and it is connected with the good functioning of democracy. He also emphasized that his visit is aimed at promoting dialogue and exchange of experience on the issues of fighting corruption.
The parties also discussed the possibilities of future cooperation in the fight against corruption. Nephew expressed his readiness to assist Georgia in the future.
The meeting was also attended by the First Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mariam Lashkhi.
“Meaningful exchange with Richard Nephew, U.S. Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption of State Department. Talked about Georgia’s progressive reforms agenda and track record, including in fighting corruption. We continue our partnership to further ensure globally that democracy better delivers for the people,” – Papuashvili tweeted after the meeting.
Meeting with Head of Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau
Richard Nephew met with the Head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Georgia, Razhden Kuprashvili.
During the meeting the parties discussed the functions and main directions of the Bureau. According to the information of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kuprashvili emphasized that “Georgia occupies a leading position in the global evaluation indexes with a low level of corruption”. He outlined the reforms carried out by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and talked about its future plans.
Discussions also focused on the digitization process and the development of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. The importance of cooperation with international partners, exchange of experience and capacity building in the fight against corruption was also highlighted.
According to the information, the US DOS Coordinator Nephew affirmed that the US will support Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau “in effectively implementing reforms in the fight against corruption.”
Meeting with State Security Service representative
Richard Nephew also met with the First Deputy Head of the Georgian State Security Service (SSSG), Aleksi Batiashvili.
During the meeting, Batiashvili highlighted Georgia’s “leading position in international corruption rankings”. He also spoke about the functions of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The parties discussed key issues and challenges in the fight against corruption and discussed future cooperation initiatives.
Meeting with Prosecutor’s Office representative
Coordinator Nephew also met with the First Deputy Prosecutor General of Georgia Bakur Abuladze.
Abuladze spoke about the steps taken by the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office in the direction of the fight against corruption, as well as its the achievements and challenges. According to Abuladze, “increasing the effectiveness of the fight against corruption is a strategic goal of the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office”.
Richard Nephew informed the representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office about the initiatives of the President of the United States in the fight against corruption. He also expressed his readiness to strengthen mutual cooperation between the two countries in the field of fight against corruption.
Meeting with CSOs
The U.S. Anti-Corruption Coordinator Nephew met with local civil society organizations. The meeting was attended among others, by representatives of Transparency International / TI – Georgia, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information / IDFI, and Civic IDEA. According to them, the discussions focused on corruption issues in Georgia, including structural problems in the fight against corruption, elite corruption, and the functioning of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau.
More to Follow…
Also Read:
- 19/12/2023 – Venice Commission: Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Independence Insufficient in Current Design
- 01/09/2023 – The Anti-Corruption Bureau Takes Over the Parties’ Financial Audit
- 01/12/2022 – Parliament Approves Changes for Creating Anti-Corruption Bureau
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
