TI-Georgia: 308 Officials Declared GEL 22 Million in Gifts in One Year
308 public officials declared receiving gifts worth GEL 22 million (USD 8 million) in 2023, Transparency International Georgia, the leading local corruption watchdog, said in its recent study of about 6,000 asset declarations submitted in 2024. TI-Georgia noted that from late 2024 to June 2025, the website for public officials’ asset declarations was inaccessible due to a “technical issue,” making it impossible to analyze data submitted during that period.
According to TI-Georgia, GEL 16 million (approximately USD 6 million) came in cash, while other gifts included 33 apartments, 14 land plots, 21 vehicles, and six firearms.
72% of the gifts (GEL 16 million) were received from officials’ parents, while gifts worth GEL 1.6 million (USD 594,000) came from their siblings and GEL 1.1 million (USD 408,000) from children. TI-Georgia notes that public officials in Georgia are prohibited from accepting gifts exceeding 5% of their annual salary, but the restriction does not apply to gifts from family members or close relatives.
“While this exception may seem logical, it also poses a risk,” the watchdog argues. “In the absence of proper oversight, it can become a loophole in the law, which dishonest officials may exploit to ‘launder’ income obtained illegally, in other words, to declare income received in violation of the law as a gift from a family member or close relative.”
The largest sums overall were declared by officials and employees from the Prosecutor General’s Office (GEL 4.5 million/USD 1.6 million), Parliament (GEL 2.4 million/USD 892,000), the Interior Ministry (GEL 2 million/USD 743,000), and judges (GEL 1.3 million/USD 483,000).
Among high-ranking officials, former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili reported GEL 150,000 (USD 55,000) in gifts, former Justice Minister Rati Bregadze received an apartment valued at USD 100,000, and Supreme Court Judge Giorgi Mikautadze declared USD 50,000 — all from family members.
TI-Georgia highlighted ten officials who declared the highest value of gifts in the 2024 declarations:
- Giorgi Shapatava, Prosecutor’s Office: USD 1.01 million, mainly from his father and sister through real estate sales.
- Irakli Kirtskhalia, MP: Around USD 0.5 million in gifts and cash, mostly from his father and sister.
- Vakhtang Baakashvili, First Deputy Head of the LEPL “Youth Agency: his spouse received a USD 295,000 apartment from her father.
- Khatuna Totladze, Deputy Foreign Minister: USD 250,000 from her mother.
- Davit Tsereteli, Tbilisi City Court Judge: USD 156,000 apartment from his mother.
- Levan Gamkrelidze, LEPL Road Transport Agency Director under the Economy Ministry: USD 150,000 in cash from his mother.
- Zurab Pataridze, Ambassador to Azerbaijan: More than USD 130,000 from his mother and his mother-in-law.
- Sandro Tsabutashvili, Interior Ministry border management chief: Around USD 70,000 from his sister, plus his spouse received additional cash gifts.
- Vepkhia Lomidze, Tbilisi Court of Appeals Judge: a cellar valued at GEL 300,000 (110,000 USD) from his spouse.
- David Zilpimiani, former MP: USD 105,000 in cash from his grandchild.
“…In every case where a public official declares a large gift, whether it be a significant amount of money, high-value items, or service, the Anti-Corruption Bureau should investigate whether there may be an attempt to legalize illicit income,” the watchdog said when warning of the risks posed by the exemption for family-given gifts.
Also Read:
- 23/10/2024 – TI Georgia: Companies Tied to GD Received GEL 1.130 Billion Worth Tenders in 2024
- 22/10/2024 – Watchdog Assesses Corruption, Judiciary, Oversight, Media in 2020-2024
- 26/10/2023 – Watchdog: Officials Get Sizeable “Gifts” from Family Members
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