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God-Fathers, Fathers of God-Children and Relatives on High Positions

September 14, 2010
Natalia Sarkisashvili, Kakheti News Center

“Before the Rose Revolution we lived in a country where nobody respected education and people succeeded with the support of their influential relatives and wealth. Today we live in a country, where there is only one criterion for employment: professionalism and patriotism. Acquaintance, friendship, and relation should not work in selecting the colleagues,” President Mikheil Saakashvili stated on July 20, 2010 in Kvareli district.

Despite the statement of the president, friends and relatives are appointed to the positions in Kakheti region.

Encyclopedia clarifies that nepotism is a Latin word and means appointment of relatives and friends on high position by the high-ranking official against general and legal rules which aims to respect personal interests more than state interests. Nepotism is declared to be the king of world corruption, it casts doubts over the personal freedom, destroys the economy, creates non-competitive environment in every field and deprives an ordinary citizen from the chance to expose his/her abilities.

On December 20, 2008 the Kakheti regional administration organized an exam for its employees. 15 employees of the administration took the exam. According to the resolution of the examination commission, the aim of the exam was to evaluate the compliance of their professional skills, qualification, abilities and personal traits with the positions they occupied. As a result of the examination, only five participants gained the minimal points.

On January 21, 2009 all 15 employees of the administration wrote resignation letters. On January 27, Kakheti regional governor Giorgi Ghviniashvili resoluted all letters. On the same day, the regional governor issued another resolution based what the same people occupied their positions as interim officials expect Zita Omanova and Mari Shashviashvili. Imanova was a chief specialist at the administrative service at the regional administration and implemented functions of a lawyer. She had gained enough points in the exam and had successfully taken the second stage – interview too. Omanova said “I wrote resignation letter based on the order of the regional governor.” 

Since Omanova had written the resignation letter herself, the administration did not pay her the salary of one month in accordance to the article 38 of the Labor Code of Georgia.

According to the Law of Georgia on Public Service, competition was to be announced for vacant positions; however, the competition was not held. On February 17, 2009 the regional governor appointed Marine Chincharauli on the position of the chief specialist – lawyer. The mother of Chincharauli – Eliso Turashvili is prosecutor at the Telavi district prosecutor’s office and close friend of the regional governor.

On June 15, 2009 Shalva Mindiashvili occupied the position of the specialist at the state supervision service within the regional administration without competition; he is a nephew of the Notary Nargiz Mindiashvili, close friend of the deputy regional governor Giorgi Sibashvili.

On June 30, 2010 Lasha Chiviashvili occupied the position of the head of regional development service at the regional administration. Before that, he was head of Kakheti bureau of the environmental inspection since 2009. He and his friend Giorgi Chiviashvili occupied the positions after Giorgi Ghviniahshvili became the regional governor. Giorgi Chiviashvili twice occupied the position of Gurjaani district governor. Then he was a single mandate MP from Gurjaani district. Before their activities in Kakheti region, Giorgi Chiviashvili was a prosecutor at the Tbilisi prosecutor’s office; Giorgi Ghviniashvili was the chief prosecutor in Tbilisi.

Shota Utiashvili became Gurjaani district governor. He is a relative of the head of information-analytic department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia Shota Utiashvili. He is also a relative of the deputy regional governor Giorgi Sibashvili. Shota Utiashvili was the head of the election HQ of Giorgi Sibashvili during the parliamentary elections in 2002. Then Giorgi Sibashvili was the single mandate candidate for the parliamentary elections in the Gurjaani district.  Five relatives of Shota Utiashvili work in the Gurjaani district administration: Vasil Utiashvili – head of the administration; Irakli Utiashvili – lawyer; Maia Utiashvili – lawyer; Shota Utiashvili –director of the union of museums; Nodar Kartlelishvili – head of the drinking water supervision service; the latter is also an uncle of Shota Utiashvili from the MIA.

Sighnaghi district governor Nodar Kochlamazashvili is relative of the regional governor Giorgi Ghviniashvili. His relative and neighbor Maia Nairashvili is an assistant to the Gurjaani district governor. Her husband Gela Kapanadze is a chief specialist at the regional development service.

Chairpersons of the Gurjaani and Lagodekhi municipal boards Zakaria Iaganashvili and Giorgi Gozalishvili are relatives of Giorgi Sibashvili. The latter is the god-father of Zakaria Iaganashvili’s son; and Gozalishvili is god-father of Sibashvili’s son.

Giorgi Sibashvili, deputy regional governor: “Maybe, somebody is really my relative and friend but if s/he is a good professional, I cannot see any problem in it. If there is something wrong, then we should pay attention to it.”

“Tightening Belts in Kakheti Region”

It is noteworthy that in 2009 prime-minister of Georgia Nikoloz Gilauri called upon the government of Georgia, local self-governmental bodies and budget agencies to restrict administrative expenses because of economical crisis. In fact, in 2010, the number of personnel and their salaries were significantly increased in Kakheti region in comparison with 2007-2009. According to the documents which we officially requested from the administration, the number of personnel increased at 21 in Sagarejo district administration and their salaries increased at 42 700 GEL; 3 more positions were added in Gurjaani district administration and the salary fund increased at 59 800 GEL; 86 more people were recruited in Lagodekhi district administration and the salary fund increased at 99 500 GEL. The number of personnel increased in Akhmeta district administration too. For example, Akhmeta district governor has 6 spokespersons. Among them, Nino Mailashvili is a cousin of the chairman of the Akhmeta municipality board Aleksandre Mailashvili and Akhmeta district governor; Maia Bodaveli – is a sister-in-law of the Akhmeta district governor’s cousin; Natia Duisvhvili –a daughter of the former chairperson Akhmeta district court Labaza Duishvili.

Head of Akhmeta district police department is also relative of the Akhmeta district governor. Zura Pilashvili is nephew of Koba Maisuradze; father of Zura Pilashvili or brother-in-law of the district governor is the head of Akhmeta district office of the Liberty Bank.

Director of the Akhmeta district culture center Tamaz Shashiashvili is also relative of Koba Maisuradze.

Koba Maisuradze, Akhmeta district governor: “Akhmeta is a small district and my relatives might also occupy positions in the district. They can implement their duties perfectly. For example, my relative Nino Mailashvili is not a spokesperson as you claim; she coordinates my waiting room. I trust this person and I think I have made correct decision when employing her.”

While working on the article, we interviewed people in Akhmeta, Telavi, Gurjaani and Dedoplistskaro districts on August 15, 16, 17 and 18; we interviewed 350 people in total. We asked whether relatives and friends were selected for various positions in public agencies and the result was: 75, 9 % of the respondents think that friends and relatives are employed in public agencies; 19, 5 % does not think so and 4, 6 % cannot answer the question.

Photo: Chairman of the Akhmeta district municipal board Aleksandre Mailashvili and Akhmeta district governor Koba Maisuradze

The article was prepared within the project “Investigative Group of Journalists in Kakheti” with financial support of the “Eurasian Partnership Foundation” in the framework of the EU funded project - “Strengthening the Media’s Role as a Watchdog Institution in Georgia”.
The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the Kakheti News Center and cannot be taken as to reflect the views of the European Union and Eurasian Partnership Foundation.

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