Transparency International Georgia has reported 250 cases of elite corruption over the past five years, implicating 221 high-ranking officials across different branches of government. Those named include 38 ministers or deputy ministers, 40 members of parliament, 17 judges and 67 municipal officials.
The organization stated that the roots of elite corruption in Georgia remain unchanged, pointing to a ‘captured state’ where investigative and judicial institutions are complicit in covering up wrongdoing. Transparency International claims that the Prosecutor’s Office, the State Security Service and the Anti-Corruption Bureau have long played a role in helping corrupt officials from accountability.
“The ruling Georgian Dream party now presents the process of removing its own political rivals as a fight against corruption,” the organization said. “In recent months, state agencies under Georgian Dream’s control have begun releasing near-daily statements on corruption cases involving former prime ministers, defense ministers, and security officials, citing alleged illicit enrichment, property concealment, and money laundering.”
The watchdog noted the contradiction between the government’s current rhetoric and its past denials. “For years, when Transparency International Georgia and investigative journalists raised the alarm about systemic corruption, the ruling party dismissed it as misinformation and claimed that corruption had been defeated,” the statement reads. “Now, they themselves admit that the country was governed on kleptocratic principles for years, with top officials stealing millions in public funds.”
Transparency International concludes that despite recent investigations, the underlying structures that enable elite corruption have not been dismantled.
