Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau probes funding of major NGOs

Several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Georgia are now under scrutiny regarding the sources and use of their funding.

According to Georgian media outlets, Razhden Kuprashvili, head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, announced the investigation, Caliber.Az reports.

On June 17, the Anti-Corruption Bureau submitted a request to the Tbilisi City Court seeking detailed financial information from several NGOs, including Transparency International Georgia, Sapare, Academy of the Future, Civil Society Foundation, and the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Kuprashvili remarked, “Many organisations will have to answer a lot of questions. If organisations prove to us that they are engaged in advocacy and the protection of the rights of a beneficiary, and only in this area, and this is their stated goal, then how is it that they are making purchases such as helmets, masks, and flags? And these purchases amount to several thousand and tens of thousands of lari.”

He also addressed the issue of some NGOs refusing to cooperate with the Bureau:

“The statement that some organisation will place itself above the law and will not comply with court decisions, will destroy case materials, and will not cooperate with a government agency is, of course, a bad thing. There are relevant regulations in the law,” Kuprashvili emphasised.

By Tamilla Hasanova