Georgy Bajelidze, Head of the office for state purchase of the economic and financial department of the Georgian Interior Ministry, was arrested for two months. His arrest caused a greater public sensation than sentencing of ex-Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili. Nino Giorgobiani, spokeswoman of the Interior Ministry, said that Bajelidze was charged with some other act of corruption. The unclear charges have been filling Tbilisi with rumours since Friday.
Experts say that the functionary was accused of purchasing expensive furniture, cars and computers. Irina Imerishvili, Secretary of the National Security Council, has recently been rumoured to buy a Toyota Land Cruiser, an iPad and an iPhone 5. Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili stated that there was nothing wrong with buying computers for functionaries.
According to Vestnik Kavkaza, Bajelidze was charged with receiving a bribe from a company selling furniture. This gives an impression that Georgia is returning back to the times of classic corruption.
Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, in his time, eradicated bribery at the low and medium level of functionaries. Police officers were sentenced to 8-9 years of prison for even a 20-dollar bribe. Minor functionaries feared to even think about getting bribes, fearing that the man offering one could be an agent recording the process.
