Seven vehicle inspectors accused of bribe taking
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Seven workers of vehicle inspection centres have been charged by the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance with commercial bribery.
“The detainees have been issuing satisfactory vehicle inspection reports in Kutaisi, Tskaltubo and Mtskheta for vehicles that did not meet inspection criteria,” the Investigation Service said in a release today.
The detainees are facing two to four years of imprisonment.
“The investigation process continues in Tbilisi, Samegrelo and Kakheti region to reveal other violations in seven vehicle inspection centres and charge those who are accountable”, the Investigation Service added.
Mandatory vehicle inspections started in Georgia in January 2018 to test the road worthiness of vehicles before they are allowed to continue driving on roads.
Vehicle testing is being launched step-by-step and the inspection of all vehicles will take about two years.
From January 1, 2019 to the end of the year the remainder of vehicles in Georgia will be forced to do vehicle inspections.
Mandatory vehicle inspections cost about 100 GEL (about $37) for powerful engine vehicles and 60 GEL for cars (about $22).
The vehicles will be inspected following seven major criteria: brakes, steering mechanism, suspension, visibility, car lights, emissions and tires.
From January 2018 Georgia is starting mandatory vehicle inspections, testing the road worthiness of vehicles before they are allowed to drive on roads.
A total of 36,394 vehicles have been inspected in Georgia as of June 20, 2018 and 75 percent of them (27,143 vehicles) have been found road-worthy, announces Georgia’s Ministry of Economy.
Out of 19,464 vehicles in Georgia, 14,280 have already been inspected since January 1, 2018, of which 5,050 failed inspection and 134 have been banned from use on roads.
In a bid to curb speeding and reduce related accidents, the Government of Georgia has made it compulsory for buses, mini-buses and trucks operating in the country to have speed-limiting devices installed.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that there are 1,441 cameras installed on the roads of Georgia to prevent road accidents and ensure safety.
A total of 21,276 vehicles have been inspected in Georgia as of 14 January 2019 and 11,666 of them (almost 55%) have been found roadworthy, announces Georgia’s Ministry of Economy.
A total of 6,654 fines have been issued between 14-17 January in Georgia, following the installation of so-called ‘smart cameras’ which automatically fine drivers that have failed to undergo mandatory vehicle inspection.
Head of the Tskaltubo City Assembly in western Georgia Grigol Ivaneishvili has been detained by the Anti-Corruption Department of the Georgian State Security Service (SSS) for bribe-taking in especially large quantities.
Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture official in Kakheti region has been arrested with four other individuals by the Anti Corruption Agency for bribery related to illegal tree felling today.
The Investigation Service of Georgia’s Finance Ministry has arrested one for fraud.