Sandro Kevkhishvili, Anti-Corruption Program Manager at Transparency International Georgia, criticizes the decision to restore bonuses and cash awards for deputy ministers, deputy state representatives and deputy mayors. He says the change is unjustified and revives corruption risks that the original restriction was meant to prevent.
Kevkhishvili notes that the government’s main argument - “fairness” toward political officials -ignores why the ban was introduced: years of scandals and high abuse risks. He adds that top officials have already received several salary increases, making bonus reinstatement even harder to justify.
According to him, if pay is insufficient, salaries should be adjusted transparently rather than reopening a system prone to misuse. Restoring bonuses, he warns, could again lead to opaque spending and undermine trust in public institutions.
Previously, bonuses were banned for all top officials and their deputies. Now only ministers, governors and mayors remain restricted, while their deputies regain eligibility - a move experts say weakens safeguards against corruption.
