The U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator, Richard Nephew, is visiting Georgia on January 17-18. During the visit, Mr. Nephew has already met with the Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, the Head of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau, Razhden Kuprashvili, and the representatives of local CSOs.
Meeting with Head of Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau
Richard Nephew met with the Head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Georgia, Razhden Kuprashvili.
Richard Nephew and Razhden Kuprashvili, Source: Anti-Corruption Bureau (FB)
During the meeting the parties discussed the functions and main directions of the Bureau. According to the information of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau, Mr. Kuprashvili emphasized that “Georgia occupies a leading position in the global evaluation indexes with a low level of corruption”. He outlined the reforms carried out by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and talked about its future plans.
Discussions also focused on the digitization process and the development of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. The importance of cooperation with international partners, exchange of experience and capacity building in the fight against corruption was also highlighted.
According to the information, the US DOS Coordinator Nephew affirmed that the US will support Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau “in effectively implementing reforms in the fight against corruption.”
Meeting with CSOs
The U.S. Anti-Corruption Coordinator Nephew first met with local civil society organizations. The meeting was attended among others, by representatives of Transparency International / TI – Georgia, Institute for Development of Freedom of Information / IDFI, and Civic IDEA. According to them, the discussions focused on corruption issues in Georgia, including structural problems in the fight against corruption, elite corruption, and the functioning of the Georgian Anti-Corruption Bureau.
More to Follow…
Also Read: