PM Garibashvili freezes all luxury car purchases for Gov's staff

The Georgian Prime Minister has issued an 11-month freeze on the purchase of all luxury cars by all Government staff.

Ongoing debate within the Georgian community about the purchase of expensive cars by the state prompted PM Irakli Garibashvili to freeze procurement of so-called "first category" cars for the rest of the year.

The Prime Minister issued the moratorium at a Government meeting today, January 27. The new law will set a cap on the amount officials will be offered when purchasing vehicles for official use. 

In the meeting, approval was gained to classify state cars into four categories. Fourth category vehicles will serve as couriers and also will be intended for transporting employees within the city. Officials who want to purchase these cars (sedan and 4WD) can obtain a maximum of $15,400 USD from the state.

First category cars will serve Ministers and other high-ranking officials. Officials who want to purchase these cars can be offered a maximum price of $47 000 USD. The cost of these vehicles included the price of the car plus one year maintenance fees (petrol, service fees etc).

Meanwhile other initiatives of Garibashvili’s was to monitor the existing cars now in auto park, to sell high-class cars where maintenance is very expensive (only if they were not used for a specific purpose), and to reduce the window tints of state vehicles to a minimum level. Money from the sales of high-class vehicles would go towards developing the structure of Ministries and training of personnel, the Prime Minister said.

He noted that this change would rid the country of existing deceptive practice of buying expensive cars.

"I can definitely tell you that existing misleading practice will come to end. Elaboration of new standards and rules to determine what kind of cars should Ministers, their deputies, and department heads use started when Bidzina Ivanishvili was the Prime Minister.”

"We will approve these changes today and all institutions financed from the state budget will obey these rules,”Garibashvili said at the Government meeting.

Garibashvili noted that all civilized countries had similar standards.

"Unfortunately such rules did not exist in Georgia. On the contrary, the previous government was not only buying expensive cars but was taking them away from citizens,” he added.

Last December one of the most debated issues was purchase of luxury cars by several high officials with state budget money. Former Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze purchased a Lexus LX 570 for 175,000 GEL (102, 942 USD). Irina Imerlishvili, the Secretary of National Security Council also purchased a high-priced vehicle and other luxury items.