Project: “Urgent Anticorruption Aid ”

Dates: September 2002 - June 2003

Budget: 24,700 USD

Donor: Eurasia Foundation

    The project “Urgent Anticorruption Aid” aimed in fighting against corruption, as it is seen from the name. In addition, the project goal was to change the attitude of society towards corruption.

Our organization have started fighting against corruption in 2000, when started implementation of the project “New Initiative - 2”, funded by Eurasia Foundation, and considered setting up anticorruption barriers.

The project “Urgent Anticorruption Aid” had been performed on the basis of lessons learned from the mentioned project. But, the new project was a significant step forth in comparison with former one, because of the diversity and volume of works done.

The activities of the project were spread up in few directions: 1) Dissemination of information and thus creations of anticorruption barriers; 2) Disclosure of corruption facts; 3) Undertaking of adequate measures on the corruption facts.

We had established special anticorruption group, consisted of Lawyer and Video-Operator. Phone numbers in order to receive calls and provide on-call support provided the group. The group was taking videotapes of the event and this made easer to solve the problems. The group of economist-experts was performing within the frames of the project as well and it was analyzing expenditures of budgetary organizations.

On the basis of video-materials, recorded by anticorruption group, had been prepared and translated through local TV canals 7 TV programmes. They are: a) About work of Passport and Visa Department – 2 programmes; b) About lawbreaking at Akhaltsikhe Police Department; c) About lawbreaking at Vale and Abastumani Police Departments; d) About propriety of Union of Pensioners; e) About illegal export of wood from the region; f) About illegalities in provision of the district schools with fire-woods.

 The results of activities of economist-experts should be mentioned as well. Besides the disclosing various small illegalities, they were able to find out: a) improperly planed expenditure in amount of 54,000 GEL in project of the district budget for 2003 and avoid inclusion of the sum into approved budget; 2) the district Gamgeoba vehicle “VAZ-31”, which was misappropriate by the office of State Commissioner in the Region and the vehicle had been returned to the owner; 3) illegal expenditure of funds accumulated for the repairs of the district schools; 4) illegalities in provision of the district schools with fire-woods.

On the basis of facts, disclosed by anticorruption group and economist-experts we declare 12 suits into court and 9 cases were won. In the rest three cases we were as considered unauthorized part.

It should be mentioned that this project was recognized as one of most serious innovation for control of corruption. The experience and lesions learned, gained during execution of the project “Argent Anticorruption Aid” is invaluable for our organization, because here we tested the methodology and attitudes, which ones had never been used before neither by us, nor by others.

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