PM: combating corruption remains top priority for Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday reaffirmed his Government's strong stance against corruption, emphasising that everything would be done to fight it to the fullest extent.

Speaking to journalists in response to a question regarding the arrest of Romeo Mikautadze, a former Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Kobakhidze noted that corruption was hindering the country’s development and combating it must remain one of the nation’s key priorities.

He further stressed that his Government had set an ambitious goal for Georgia to rank among the top three European countries in terms of low corruption, and that many changes had been made within the Government to achieve this.

“Fighting corruption remains our main priority. We have publicly stated our ambitious goal of entering Europe’s top three for the lowest corruption levels. In this regard, many changes have been made in Georgia’s Government and, more broadly, in the governing structures. Everything will be done to combat corruption as much as possible, as it hinders the country’s development and must remain a key priority”, the PM said.

He further made the remarks in response to questions about the detention of Mikautadze.

“I cannot discuss the details of the specific case - that is the competence of law enforcement agencies, and they will examine and respond to such matters. We must wait for the outcome of the investigation”, he continued.

When asked about the possibility of questioning Mikautadze’s former supervisors - Kakha Kaladze and Levan Davitashvili - the Prime Minister emphasised that the investigation concerned Mikautadze’s activities within the Ministry of Economy.

“The investigation relates to a specific individual’s activities at the Ministry of Economy. As for Levan Davitashvili, no one doubts his integrity. I cannot comment on the details - that is the job of the relevant law enforcement agencies. I want to thank everyone who thoroughly investigates such cases; it is up to law enforcement bodies to see these cases through to the end”, Kobakhidze concluded.