Georgian Civil Society Accuses Ruling Party of Weaponizing Anti-Corruption Mechanisms
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
A coalition of over 50 independent civil society organizations (CSOs) has released a joint statement asserting that Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is leveraging state anti-corruption mechanisms to persecute watchdog groups while simultaneously shielding high-ranking officials and business partners from accountability.
The organizations argue that public resources and state institutions are becoming increasingly controlled by GD, allowing corruption to flourish among the political elite while oversight agencies focus their attention on independent critics.
Independent analysis cited in the statement highlights substantial financial benefits flowing to entities linked to the ruling power. Since 2013, companies associated with GD officials and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili have reportedly secured state tenders valued at more than 3.28 billion GEL (Georgian Lari).
Further scrutiny of procurement records shows that between 2020 and 2024, over 1.028 billion GEL was allocated to businesses connected to donors of the ruling party. These specific donors had collectively contributed 7.7 million GEL to GD.
The CSOs detail that corruption in state contracts often involves non-competitive or simplified procurement processes that consistently favor government-aligned entities. Additionally, public funds earmarked for social programs are allegedly being redirected to finance informal networks of party affiliates, thereby serving the party's narrow political interests.
Concerns were also raised regarding public officials and opaque property transactions, with reports detailing numerous instances of undeclared assets. Property valued at over 34 million GEL, encompassing cash and real estate, was transferred to officials between 2024 and 2025. While officially recorded as gifts, the CSOs contend these transactions effectively serve as a method of distributing political influence and ensuring loyalty.
Despite its legal obligation to monitor officials' asset declarations and investigate suspicious transactions, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau is accused of failing to act on evidence of systemic high-level corruption.
The CSOs point out that the Bureau's official 2023-2024 reports are largely procedural and "fail to document any instances of elite corruption, conflicts of interest, or specific property transaction evaluations." This suggests the Bureau is not fulfilling its primary oversight or preventive functions.
The coalition contends that while the Georgian Dream party publicly claims commitment to fighting corruption, the practical reality is that "state resources are being seized by the political elite and businesses linked to the party, enriching themselves at the cost of transparency, fair competition, and public accountability."
In a contrasting development, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has begun actively investigating non-governmental organizations. Following controversial amendments to the "Law on Grants" passed in April, the Bureau initiated a "monitoring" process on September 4, 2025, targeting more than 80 CSOs.
The affected organizations, many of which focus on democratic accountability and human rights, have been required to furnish "extensive data, including personal information and retroactive details from 2024 onward." The CSOs characterize this demand as an "unprecedented intrusion into the autonomy of civil society."
The coalition's statement included a direct quote highlighting the consequences of this dual policy:
"When accountability is only applied to civil society, not to the powerful and corrupt, it becomes repression masked as oversight, stifling civic freedoms and limiting civil society's ability to monitor, speak out, and hold power accountable - a direct threat to Georgia's democratic future."
The signatory organizations concluded that the oversight mechanisms created by the ruling party are being weaponized against the very groups trying to expose corruption. "This cannot be construed as an anti-corruption policy," the CSOs stated. "Instead, it is a protection racket for corruption, one that persecutes the independent civil sector fighting to expose them."
The statement was signed by a wide range of organizations, including the Europe Foundation, the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, and Transparency International - Georgia.
