iTV.ge | “Transparency International Georgia” – By checking the declarations for 2023, it was determined that 15 parties received a total of 26,452,373 GEL in revenue

According to the information of the NGO “Transparency International-Georgia”, through the examination of the financial declarations of 15 political parties for 2023, it was determined that these 15 parties received a total of 26,452,373 GEL in revenue (budget financing, donations, bank loans) and spent 14,856,671 GEL. 62% of the total revenue of the parties (16,315,610 GEL) went to “Georgian Dream”.

According to information published by the organization, 48% of the total income of political parties (12,742,941 GEL) came from the state treasury, and 52% (13,138,636) came from private sources (donations, bank loans);

“Six out of 15 political parties received donations of more than GEL 1,000. The total amount of donations received by the parties was GEL 13,138,636; Georgian Dream received more than GEL 11 million (85% of the total). This is a record amount of donations in a non-election year; Georgian Dream spent only GEL 5.2 million, while the total income for the year was GEL 16.3 million.

In addition, in 2023, 15 companies associated with donors won bids, of which 14 were related to the “Georgian Dream” donors and 1 was related to the “Lelos” party; During the reporting period, 14 companies associated with the ruling party donors won bids worth up to GEL 1.1 billion. During the same period, these companies donated GEL 1.45 million to the “Georgian Dream”; In the period before the 2023 harvest, donors associated with wine production enterprises donated up to GEL 1 million to the “Georgian Dream”; In 2023, alcohol production companies associated with donors received preferential agricultural credits of up to GEL 39 million in 2013-2023 and harvest subsidies of more than GEL 30 million in 2021-2023.

As for other donations, it is likely that they were made through third parties. In addition to directors and partners of large business groups, the donors to the ruling party are often people who hold such positions in the company, such as financial personnel, geologists, mechanics, workshop directors, etc. , ETC. This situation makes people suspect that they are fictitious donors, and the real donors are hidden, which is illegal. The practice of RMG Group and Anagi Group using fictitious donors to donate to the “Georgian Dream” was exposed; the donations made by a group in a short period of time also raised the suspicion of fictitious donations, which was related to the “Lilo-Mall” LLC, when the company’s small shareholders donated a large sum of money to the ruling party on the same day.

After supervision of the parties became the responsibility of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, information on activities in the direction of political and financial supervision was difficult to obtain; The process of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in monitoring cases of direct and indirect funding of the parties was opaque, which increased the risk of the Anti-Corruption Bureau making an unreasonably broad interpretation of the law and acting for political motives; In 2023, of the 12 cases sent by the Anti-Corruption Bureau to the court, the court punished 4 cases by note, warned 1 case, and stopped the proceedings in 1 case. According to the information, in the remaining six cases, the parties were fined with a total fine of 25,700 GEL.

The organization applied to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and made recommendations.

“For many years, donations to the ruling party have raised legitimate suspicions that they are part of a corruption scheme involving benefits from large government procurement contracts and other budget programs. The National Security Agency Anti-Corruption Agency is obliged to investigate such cases; The Anti-Corruption Agency must strictly maintain political neutrality, be guided only by the law and adhere to the principles of transparency when exercising its powers. Compliance with these prerequisites is essential to ensure a fair electoral environment; The Anti-Corruption Agency should be given appropriate investigative powers. To ensure political neutrality, the opposition parties should also be involved in the appointment of the Chairman of the Bureau; The Anti-Corruption Agency should add a separate form to the annual financial report document, where the parties should indicate the specific sources of the amounts mentioned in the category “Other monetary income” (if any); Political parties should pay more attention to collecting donations through various activities or campaigns. Generally speaking, at such times, the parties will not be dependent on a few large donors, and the risk of corrupt transactions may be smaller,” the information released by the organization stated.