Anti-Corruption Bureau to Monitor Asset Declarations of 300 Public Officials

The Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau has announced about its intention to verify the asset declarations of 300 public officials in 2024 “due to the high public interest and the high risk of corruption,” – according to the Bureau’s press release. The list was drawn up by a special independent commission comprised of civil society representatives.

The list of people whose asset declarations will be verified includes some high-ranking government officials, among them Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the ruling “Georgian Dream” party Chair Irakli Kobakhidze, members of the cabinet, their deputies and the members of the Parliament. The list also includes the mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze.

The Bureau said it will also focus on verification of the declarations of officials working in the High Council of Justice of Georgia, judges of the common and constitutional courts of Georgia, the National Communications Commission, the Central Election Commission, the Georgian Post, the Georgian Railways, the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation, the Electricity System Commercial Operator, the Georgian Development Fund, the National Bank, the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Audit Office, the State Security Service, the State Procurement Agency, the Pension Agency, the Forestry Agency, the Revenue Service.

The declarations to be verified were selected by a special independent commission within the Anti-Corruption Bureau. According to TI-Georgia it played a key role in coordinating its establishment. The anti-corruption watchdog noted that “in previous years, almost one in two officials was fined for failing to fully disclose their assets”.

TI-Georgia said that the declaration selection commission so far only been formed once between 2018 and 2022 and only half of the legally required number of declarations were verified (e.g. 300 instead of 600).

The Commission unanimously and independently selects the list of the mentioned persons to be monitored. The members of the Commission are:

• Giorgi Davituri (Information Integrity Development Institute);
• Ketevan Shoshiashvili – Transparency International -Georgia;
• Tamar Khukhia- Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA);
• Nino Dolidze – Ilia University;
• Alexander Kukhianidze- Tbilisi State University.

Also Read:

• 17/01/2024 – US State Department Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator Visits Georgia
• 19/12/2023 – Venice Commission: Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Independence Insufficient in Current Design
• 25/03/2023 – “TI Georgia”: Georgian Officials Submit Asset Declarations with Violations
• 10/02/2023 – PM Appoints Head of Anti-Corruption Bureau
• 01/12/2022- Parliament Approves Changes for Creating Anti-Corruption Bureau

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