State Security Service says it prosecuted 72 individuals for corruption, fraud in 2023, highlights int’l rankings

The Anti-Corruption Agency of Georgia took “various measures” in 2023, including investigative actions, analytical and preventive measures to arrest and prosecute officials for corruption and other charges, an annual report of the State Security Service to the Georgian Parliament said.

The body added the Agency launched investigations into 47 criminal cases over the past year, including bribery, abuse of official authority and fraud, leading to prosecution of 72 individuals.

The office said the country continued to hold a “leading place” in international rankings combating corruption as a result of the “coordinated proactive actions” taken by state structures.

It said Georgia ranked 49th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index by the Transparency International, ahead of six European Union member states.

In the World Bank’s evaluations, the country earned 72.7 percent in its ranking of corruption control, and was ranked ahead of 14 EU and NATO member countries.

The Service also said Georgia was “the leading state” in the wider region according to the same ranking, while among post-Soviet countries it was ranked only behind the Baltic countries.

It added the country had “one of the lowest rates” of bribery globally and was among the top 10 in Europe.

The Service also continued raising awareness among the public and civil servants about corruption crimes throughout the preceding years and trained around 80 civil servants with the help of experts from the State Security Service, the EU, and the Council of Europe, the body also noted.