We call on “Dream” to invite the Prosecutor General to Parliament and discuss with his participation the report on the activities of the Prosecutor’s Office, the main agency responsible for investigating the facts of elite corruption, arresting and charging corrupt people, – Natia Mezvrishvili, the deputy chairperson of the “For Georgia” party, said at a briefing.
Mezvrishvili noted that while elite families close to the ruling party of Georgia are getting richer, the Parliament of Georgia violates the law and does not supervise the Prosecutor’s Office. According to Mezvrishvili, Parliament has not considered the report of the activities of the Prosecutor’s Office for years.
“Our team’s submission of numerous statements to the Prosecutor’s Office over months on facts of political corruption did not bring results. The corrupt people of “Dream” and 25 elite families close to “Dream” continue to steal people’s money from the budget – they bring some of it home, and put some of it to the party’s coffers. People are getting poorer, living conditions are getting worse, and the elites are getting richer.
“Against this background, the parliament violates the law and does not supervise the Prosecutor’s Office – Parliament has not reviewed the report of the Prosecutor’s Office for years and has not been interested in how the Office fights corruption.
“The meetings of the Prosecutor’s Council are formal, and the representation of Parliament in the Council is fictitious – no critical voice is heard on the Council regarding the challenges of the Prosecutor’s Office, which have a direct impact on the rights of citizens. Government and opposition representatives either do not attend the council session or do not ask questions. The non-serious attitude of the Parliament towards the Council was well demonstrated in the election of the representative of the opposition with the support of “Dream”.
“The function of the Prosecutor’s Office is to protect people from crime, not to create comfortable conditions for corrupt elites to steal people’s money and protect them from punishment. Four years have passed since the election of the current Prosecutor General. At least after four years of silence, people have the right, through the parliament they elected, to ask the General Prosecutor questions and find out why today the Prosecutor’s Office is inactive dealing with systemic elite corruption? Why does the Prosecutor’s Office contribute to the enrichment of 25 elite corrupt families at the expense of the people?
“In light of the legitimate questions about the independence of the Prosecutor’s Office (as detailed in the EU Enlargement Report), the Prosecutor General’s presentation to the public of the vision, including reforms, is critically important for ensuring the accountability of the Prosecutor’s Office to the public, order in the country and the safety of citizens.
“We call on Dream to immediately schedule a hearing of the Prosecutor General’s report with the participation of the Prosecutor General, immediately after the opening of the spring session. This should not be a problem for them, especially when the honorary chairman of Dream admitted the increase of corruption risks.
“We call on the General Prosecutor to perform the function of accountability and transparency before the public – to request and personally submit a report to Parliament. We hope that the main state agency responsible for investigating the facts of corruption will not run away from the questions,” said Natia Mezvrishvili.
Party Founder Giorgi Giorgi Gakharia also posted the same demand on social media.
We call on the Ruling Party of🇬🇪to invite General Prosecutor in the Parliament & discuss activity report of the @OfficialPOG GD’s been failing to discuss for over years in violation of law. In light of dozens of unaddressed cases of elite/political #corruption by POG, it is the…
— Giorgi Gakharia (@GakhariaGiorgi) January 22, 2024
