Georgia closes anti-corruption bodies created at the request of the EU: what does this mean?

The Georgian government has decided to close the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Personal Data Protection Service and transfer their functions to the State Audit Service. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that the auditors will monitor the declarations of officials, parties and public organizations.

This is reported by Radio Liberty.

Papuashvili says that the Audit Service operates more independently, so the government wants to entrust it with these powers. Both bodies will cease to operate on March 2, 2026. From January 1, 2026, the Business Ombudsman institution will be transferred to the Ministry of Economy. According to Papuashvili, these changes will save about $20 million each year.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau was created in 2023 at the request of the European Commission, but recently the Georgian authorities have been adopting laws that complicate the work of civil society organizations and the media and slow down the country’s movement towards the EU.

It was previously reported that the authorities in Georgia are preparing large-scale electoral changes that will deprive citizens living abroad of the opportunity to vote in the elections .

As a reminder, the Central Election Commission of Georgia announced the victory of the leading pro-Russian party “Georgian Dream” in the local government elections amid protests.

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