Georgian Parliament Speaker: Georgia among regional leaders for low corruption, striving for top-three global position

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said fighting against corruption was one of the main directions and strategy of the Government.

Papuashvili’s comment followed the Georgian Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday arresting Levan Gamrekeli, the former deputy chair of the Khashuri Municipality Council, and two individuals associated with him on the charge of large-scale theft by an organised group.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that Georgia was currently the leader in the South Caucasus region in terms of low corruption, however, the Government's goal was for the country to be in the top three.

“When we elected Irakli Kobakhidze as Prime Minister, it was noted at that time what the main directions and strategy of the Government would be the fight against corruption. Georgia is currently the leader in the region in terms of the lowest level of corruption, however, the Government’s goal is for Georgia to be among the top three”, the Speaker said.

“All the loopholes of corruption must be closed, everyone who gets involved in corruption must be exposed. You can see that the relevant agencies do not spare anyone, there is no authority that they will avoid when it comes to corruption. Whoever commits a crime will be exposed, we are implementing this policy. It is important that law enforcement agencies work very effectively in this regard”, he concluded.

An investigation conducted by the Investigation Department of the Shida Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti District Prosecutor's Office established that Levan Gamrekeli, together with the two individuals, secretly took possession of state-owned pipelines worth ₾5,000,000 [$1,848,429] in the territory of the Shida Kartli region in 2020-2023, as a result of which the state suffered a large amount of material damage.