Survey: 57% of respondents trust Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia
When asked how often prosecutors make deals with the government, 39% reported ‘don’t know.’ Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Public opinion of the Prosecutor’s Office in Georgia tends towards trust, says the latest survey published by the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), which shows that about half the public (57%) trusts the Prosecutor’s Office, 26 per cent does not, and 17 per cent report they ‘don’t know’.
The Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC-Georgia) conducted a phone survey on March 4-23, 2020 to find out:
- To what extent people trust or distrust the Prosecutors Office of Georgia
- How often people think prosecutors abuse power and make deals with judges or the government
- To what extent investigations into restoring justice in cases of illegal property confiscation were effectively conducted
Respondents were asked if prosecutors abused power frequently, rarely, or never. Over a third (36%) conjectured abuse of power was rare, 20 per cent said it was frequent, and 13 per cent reported it never happened in Georgia. The rest of the respondents (31%) replied ‘don’t know’ to the question.
When asked how often prosecutors make deals with the government, 39% reported ‘don’t know.’ Among the remainder of the public, 29 per cent reported that prosecutors making deals with government representatives was rare, 20 per cent said that it was frequent, and 12 per cent reported that it never took place in Georgia.
The survey also asked people how free or unfree large businesses are from political influence. 42 per cent reported that businesses are free from political influence, 33 per cent said that they are not free from influence and 25 per cent reported ‘don’t know’.
The survey asked respondents about the “restoration of justice” that the Georgian Dream government initiated since coming to power in 2012.
Officially, the process, among other objectives, was meant to return confiscated property. 36% of respondents said that the restoration of justice was not accomplished. About a quarter (27%) reported that it was accomplished and 36 per cent answered ‘don’t know’.
The process of separating the government and the Prosecutors’ Office, which started back in 2013, has finally come to an end.
16,820 individuals were charged in Georgia in 2018, which is a 6.5 per cent increase compared to 2017, the Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office says in its annual report presented in parliament.
Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office has addressed the Court of Appeals of Georgia to reopen the case of political prisoner Simon Tsuriashvili, due to new evidence.
The parliament of Georgia is scheduled to adopt a new law over the country’s chief prosecutor’s office, through which the body will act independently from the executive government, Georgian Dream ruling party lawmaker Eka Beselia said.