Anti-Corruption Bureau Head Demands Financial Transparency from Opposition Parties, IRI, NDI
The Head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili presented financial monitoring results of the political parties during a briefing held on August 27. Based on the results of the monitoring, the Bureau asked all political parties to submit their financial statements for the first 8 months of the year by August 31, IRI and NDI to disclose information about the grants they have given to Georgian organizations and asked the members of the “Freedom Square” movement to disclose all financial reports.
According to the results of the Bureau’s monitoring, the main opposition parties in Georgia “do not disclose or incompletely disclose” the financial donations they receive. At the same time, their political campaigns and activities “may be financed by foreign donor organizations or other sources, which in turn pay funds to NGOs affiliated with these political parties.” Political parties mentioned in this context are:
- European Georgia – Movement for Freedom;
- Yes to Europe – Strategy Aghmashenebeli;
- United National Movement;
- Girchi – More Freedom;
- Strong Georgia – Lelo, For People, Freedom Square;
- Elene Khoshtaria – Droa;
- Ahali – Gvaramia, Melia.
“Supporting political parties and processes with foreign money is a threat to a fair electoral process,” Kuprashvili said, adding that political parties that receive foreign funding, along with civil society organizations, hold various types of events across Georgia, publish brochures with a political context, and make videos supporting certain parties. “According to Georgian legislation, it is forbidden to finance political parties from a natural person without Georgian citizenship, as well as from a legal entity registered in Georgia or abroad.”
Kuprashvili singled out the new political movement “Freedom Square”, noting that it was founded by the Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD) and Levan Tsutskiridze, and had a joint event dedicated to publicly announcing election goals. The activities of the organization show that it has political goals, he said, noting that however, that it doesn’t do what the law requires and register as a political party. He lamented that the organization carries out its the activities through other CSOs and claimed that its financial activities are not disclosed to the public.
“In accordance with the first paragraph of Article 26 Prima of the Organic Law of Georgia “On Political Associations of Citizens”, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has decided to order the “Freedom Square” Movement, the EECMD, the Chairman of these organizations, Levan Tsutskiridze, and 24 members of the Movement to be transparent in their finances. This means that they are obliged to submit financial reports to the Anti-Corruption Bureau in accordance with the law, which the Anti-Corruption Bureau will make public”, – said the Head of the Bureau.
Citing “high public interest,” Kuprashvili also focused on the “Democracy Festival (DemFest)“, organized by the EECMD and financed by the “Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy”, claiming that the event carries a political nature. He claimed the DemFest is intended to show support for certain parties, while also being preferential to certain parties, while not all parties are invited to participate. He also said the series of events featured organizations represented during the event that are “linked” to different political parties. “The process of obtaining evidence in the above case is underway and the summary decision will be announced to the public”.
Kuprashvili noted the importance of international observation organizations and their work during the elections, addressing NDI and IRI, “which should be objective observers of the elections,” and called on them to ensure the transparency of the grants they give “so that the events they fund are not used to support political parties.” Kuprashvili also noted that “Neutrality and objectivity are crucial for election monitoring organizations.”
“In order to maintain the standard of financial transparency of political campaigns and thus limit the ability of citizens to make an informed choice, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has made the following decision: by August 31, 2024, all election subjects should submit documents showing the financial status of 8 months of the current year. Information about the violations detected by the Anti-Corruption Bureau will be reported to international organizations, and we hope that all these facts will be reflected in the monitoring reports,” – concluded the Head of the Bureau.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau was established in 2022 within the framework of the fourth recommendation put forward by the European Commission to achieve EU candidate status. The Anti-Corruption Bureau is currently headed by Razhden Kuprashvili, who was appointed by the Prime Minister. Non-governmental organizations have criticized the way the head of the Bureau is appointed, arguing that his appointment by the Prime Minister does not guarantee the independence of this institution.
Also Read:
- 23/08/2024 – PM Kobakhidze Confirms GD Aims to Ban All Current Opposition Coalitions, Cancel MP Mandates
- 05/07/2024 – Watchdog: Anti-Corruption Bureau Fails to Duly Publish Asset Declaration Monitoring Results
- 22/01/2024 – Anti-Corruption Bureau to Monitor Asset Declarations of 300 Public Officials
- 19/12/2023 – Venice Commission: Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Independence Insufficient in Current Design
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