Over the past five years, 250 cases of elite corruption have been recorded, involving 221 high-ranking officials, including 38 ministers or deputy ministers, 40 MPs, 17 judges, and 67 municipal officials. The causes of elite corruption have not changed - the state remains captured, according to information released by Transparency International Georgia.
According to the organization, “for years, investigative bodies, prosecutors, judges, and employees of the State Security Service and the Anti-Corruption Bureau have been involved in covering up corruption.”
They also note that “the ruling party, Georgian Dream, presents the process of removing political rivals within its own team as a fight against corruption.”
“Recently, the Georgian Dream-controlled Prosecutor’s Office and State Security Service have begun speaking about corruption involving former high-ranking officials and are almost daily providing the public with information about former prime ministers, former heads of the State Security Service, former defense ministers, and individuals associated with them, regarding cases of concealing property worth millions of dollars, illicit enrichment, money laundering, and other similar crimes.”
“For years, when Transparency International Georgia and investigative media were sounding the alarm about elite corruption, Georgian Dream called it falsehood and claimed that corruption had been defeated in the country.”
“Now, however, they themselves acknowledge that for many years the country was governed on kleptocratic principles and that top government officials were involved in large-scale corruption schemes - stealing millions in budgetary funds from the Georgian army, students, and every citizen of Georgia.”
“The fact remains that the causes of elite corruption have not changed - the state remains captured.”
“For years, investigative bodies, prosecutors, judges, and employees of the State Security Service and the Anti-Corruption Bureau have been complicit in covering up corruption. Now, Georgian Dream is presenting the removal of political rivals within its own ranks as a fight against corruption.”
“In reality, elite corruption was - and remains - much more extensive,” the statement concludes.
