TI: Dealing with various forms of corruption remains major challenge for Georgia

Local NGO Transparency International Georgia (TI) says that dealing with various forms of corruption remains major challenge for Georgia.

 Abuse of power for personal gain is common among Georgia’s public officials, while the authorities don’t react to such cases effectively, meanwhile petty corruption is still extremely rare” reads the official statement of TI.

TI notes that different forms of corruption remain a significant challenge for Georgia.

International anti-corruption day is celebrated on December 9 and TI has released the results of a public survey which was conducted by the Caucasus Resource Centre upon TI’s request in early 2019. 

36% percent of those who surveyed believe that abuse of power for personal gain by public officials in common, while 51% think that instances of corruption are not investigated properly when high-ranking officials or influential individuals with links to the ruling party are involved”, reads the official statement of TI.

These are the results of the public opinion survey conducted upon TI’s request from February 20 to march 5.

In it's statement TI says that a number of worrying trends concerning the fight against corruption are evident in Georgia:

• Growing pressure on independent and pro-opposition media and attempts to interfere in their operation
• Politicizing of the law enforcement bodies and their use for for exerting pressure on political opponents
• Suspicious success of the companies linked to public officials in public procurement and incomplete disclosure of the public official’s assets and business connections
• Cases of nepotism and favouritism in civil service
• Refusal to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections through a fully proportional system

TI recommends Georgian authorities to promote the establishment of a pluralistic political system, ‘which would make it possible to halt the process of state capture’, to respect the freedom of media and to establish an independent anti-corruption agency that will be responsible for effective enforcement of anti-corruption laws.