Eurasia Insight:
GEORGIA’S ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN ENTERS CRUCIAL PHASE
4/11/01

Georgia’s anti-corruption drive is entering a crucial phase. While expecting fierce resistance to the "task of eradicating this horrible disease [corruption] of society," President Eduard Shevardnadze is publicly expressing confidence that government graft can be contained, leading to more stable development. Other top officials are more guarded, however. Justice Minister Mikheil Saakashvili, who visited the United States in early April, has cautioned that the unless Georgia’s anti-corruption efforts produce quick results, the country risks losing critical international support.

Shevardnadze, who has long spoken of the need to curb bribery, has characterized corruption as a mortal danger to Georgia’s national security. "The country’s independence and its statehood, gained through the shedding of blood and tears, is on one pan of the scales, and corruption with all its horrendous manifestations is on the other," Shevardnadze told Georgian radio on March 26.

In mid March, the Georgian president opened a new phase in the anti-corruption effort by signing a decree authorizing the formation of a 12-member coordinating council. Several days later, he sacked the minister of state property management, Mikheil Ukleba, who, while not suspected of any personal wrongdoing, was accused of being incapable of preventing others from indulging in illegal activity connected with state assets.

Shevardnadze has predicted ultimate victory for the anti-corruption effort. "Our nation has managed to break many other chains," he said, "and I am confident that it will break this one, as well." At the same time, Shevardnadze indicated that success will depend greatly on the determination and the resilience of coordinating council members. "We are perfectly aware of resistance … which we will obviously encounter," Shevardnadze said. "They[government opponents] have already begun to attack us in various provocative ways."

Minister of State Giorgi Arsenishvili said the search to fill the coordinating council was continuing, adding that a reputation for honesty and organizational skills were among the most important requirements for those under consideration, Georgia’s Prime News agency reported. Members will be drawn from all levels of Georgian society, according to Shevardnadze.

Saakashvili, the justice minister, told the Kavkassia Press service on April 10 that Georgia needed to demonstrate quick progress in the anti-corruption campaign to ensure the ongoing support of Western nations, including the United States. He made the comments following a 10-day US tour, which included meetings with top Bush Administration law enforcement officials, including Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Louis Freeh.

Thus far, the US government has backed Georgia’s anti-corruption efforts. A stable and prosperous Georgia, in the US view, could facilitate the export of natural resources from the Caspian Basin, serving as a transit country for oil and gas pipelines. To underscore US support, Freeh paid a two-day visit to Georgia in late March, during which he offered praise for the anti-corruption program. "It has to be implemented," he said.

Following meetings with top Georgian officials, including Shevardnadze and Parliament Speaker Zurab Zhvania, Freeh announced that the FBI would establish a office in Georgia that would provide local authorities with assistance in battling a variety of illegal activities, including computer-based fraud and money-laundering. Freeh also said the FBI would aid Georgian law enforcement officials in the anti-corruption effort.

During talks with Interior Minister Kakha Targamadze, Freeh raised the possibility of the formation of a law-enforcement agency in Georgia that is modeled on the FBI. The creation of such an agency could improve the country’s ability to battle trans-national crime issues, including terrorism and drug trafficking. Freeh provided Targamadze with information collected by the FBI on Georgian organized criminal activity and money-laundering practices in the United States.

Targamadze is among those in the middle of Georgia’s corruption controversy. Politicians and business leaders have accused Targamadze in recent months of engaging in corrupt practices, including shady financial dealings connected with the operation of a local soccer team. But the interior minister retains the firm support of Shevardnadze. "Attacks against Kakha Targamadze, including those who should be supporting him, go beyond the boundaries of acceptable behavior," Shevardnadze told Georgian television on March 28.

Georgian law enforcement bodies and the FBI have already been cooperating for several years. Georgian policemen periodically undergo US-sponsored training. Yet a number of politicians -- including Giorgi Targamadze, the leader of "United Georgia" faction – believe it will take more than US assistance to have an impact on anti-corruption efforts. Some express concern that Russia, which they believe seeks to retain a controlling influence in the Caucasus, will attempt sooner or later to frustrate the anti-corruption campaign in order to destabilize Georgia.

Saakashvili urged increased efforts to maintain US support for Georgia. If the anti-corruption effort falters, causing US interest in Georgia to flag, he said Tbilisi will be left "at the mercy of its only ill-wishing neighbor – Russia."

Editor’s Note: Dimitri Bit-Suleiman is a freelance journalist based in Georgia.