The bill “Dreams” on the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau does not comply with EU recommendations

The bill of the ruling Georgian Dream party on the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau does not comply with the recommendations of the European Union, according to the non-governmental organization Transparency International Georgia (TI).

Let us recall that according to the fourth recommendation of the European Union, Georgia should:

Strengthen the independence of the Anti-Corruption Agency, which will unite all key anti-corruption functions; Especially in terms of effectively investigating high-level corruption cases; Provide the newly created Special Investigation Service and the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data with the resources corresponding to their mandate and ensure their institutional independence;
On October 26, a draft law was initiated in the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, providing for the creation of an Anti-Corruption Bureau.

It is planned that the new department will be engaged in supporting the fight against corruption by creating documents defining anti-corruption policies, coordinating their implementation and supervision. The head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau will be appointed by the Prime Minister of Georgia.

TI believes that the proposed bill does not meet the recommendations and makes the following argument:

“The reform does not provide for the combination of a number of key anti-corruption functions, the guarantee of real independence and the fight against corruption at a high level.”

According to the organization, the initiated reform only implies the allocation of the functions of the Secretariat of the National Anti-Corruption Council to a separate department, which “does not coincide with the requirement of the European Commission.”

As TI said, “the reform also does not meet the country’s challenges, in particular in issues of high-level corruption and deepening appropriation of the state.” The organization fears that the adoption of the reform in its current form cannot be considered the implementation of the EU recommendation, because of which Georgia may lose the opportunity to obtain the status of a candidate for EU membership.

The organization calls on the ruling party to reconsider its approach and make every effort to ensure that the recommendation is considered implemented.

To achieve this goal, both the Lelo bill (dated January 2022) and the ideas prescribed in this bill can be used, TI notes.

According to the organization, the bill, developed with the participation of its experts and independent deputies, enjoys broad support from NGOs and the political spectrum.