Georgian Interior Ministry official Bajelidze’s arrest was predictable – expert

Read on the website Vestnik Kavkaza

Petre Mamradze, Head of the Institute for Strategic Studies, told Vestnik Kavkaza that it was a small bribe and tricks with the furniture were only the tip of the iceberg. The expert emphasized that no one in Georgia was surprised at the arrest. Mamradze noted that state purchases were often wasteful and consisted of luxuries bought for authorities.

The question is, the expert goes on, whether Banjelidze was committing fraud with state purchases on his own accord or he was given orders. He reminded that honest minister David Kirvalidze and his executives had once been accused of violating tender rules and it had turned out that the whole case was fabricated and the minister had returned to his post.

According to the expert’s view, the Georgian authorities have outshone even their predecessors in terms of state purchases of luxury. He believes that journalists should study the problem more actively and publish the exact prices of wasteful spending. Mamradze reminded about a scandal when the prosecutor-general purchased a car for $100,000, his deputy and secretary of the Security Council followed his example. What is curious, points out Mamradze, is that the Interior Ministry itself informed the public about the purchase.

Georgy Bajelidze, Head of the Department for State Purchases of the Georgian Interior Ministry, has recently been detained in Tbilisi. It has been announced today that he was detained for taking a bribe of $1154 and violating a secret tender for furniture purchase, thus, violating the law on state secret document. Bajelidze’s layer wants to pay a bail of $5770 for release of the functionary today.Petre Mamradze, Head of the Institute for Strategic Studies, told Vestnik Kavkaza that it was a small bribe and tricks with the furniture were only the tip of the iceberg. The expert emphasized that no one in Georgia was surprised with the arrest. Mamradze noted that state purchases were often wasteful and consisted of luxury bought for authorities.The question is, the expert goes on, whether Banjelidze was doing frauds with state purchases on own accords or he was given orders. He reminded that honest minister David Kirvalidze and his executives had once been accused of violating tender rules and it had turned out that the whole case was fabricated and the minister had returned to his post.According to the expert’s view, Georgian authorities outshined even their predecessors, in terms of state purchases of luxury. He believes that journalists should study the problem more actively and publish the exact prices of wasteful spending. Mamradze reminded about a scandal when the prosecutor general purchased a car for $100,000, his deputy and secretary of the Security Council followed his example. What is curious, points out Mamradze, is that the Interior Ministry itself informed the public about the purchase