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Local Police Divisions Funded from Local Budgets against the Law

February 7, 2009

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

 
The bodies of local self governance are not entitled to fund the institutions that are funded from national budget, according to Organic Law on Local Self-Governance and Georgian Law on the Budget of Body of Local Self-Governance. However, the Kakheti district divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia (MIA) are partially funded by local bodies of self governance.

According to Paragraph I of Article I of Georgian Law on Public Security Service, Public Security Service is a system of law enforcing, special militarized institutions that is the part of executive government. Public Security Service provides public security in domestic and foreign issues in the frames of its competence. According to Paragraph I of Article 17 of Georgian Law on Public Security Service, Public Security Service is funded from the state budget. Despite this, district police divisions are funded from district budgets either way. 

Officially, 335 041GEL was allocated from Gurjaani district budget for Gurjaani district police division in 2007. 19 117 GEL from this money was apportioned for paying bills, 900 GEL for office expenses, 800 GEL for transportation and 314 224 GEL for reconstruction work. Vasil Utiashvili, the public information granting officer of Gurjaani District Administration informed that in 2007 the money was transacted on the account of Gurjaani district police based on a contract between Gurjaani Police and District Municipality. He also informed that the Gurjaani district Municipality did not allocate money to Gurjaani district Police Division in 2008. The Gurjaani District Administration does not plan to allocate money to the police in 2009 too.

The Signagi district municipality allocated 52 000 GEL to district police division in 2007. The police division spent 50 180 GEL. 1 890 GEL was spent on office expenses, 10 017 GEL on bills, 21 642 GEL on reconstruction work. In 2008 7 440 GEL was apportioned, 3 406 GEL for various kinds of bills and 4 034 for other expenses. According to draft budget 2009 district police division will receive only 2 300 GEL that was indebted by the municipality in 2008.

Dedoplistskaro Police Division received 45 000 GEL from Dedoplistkaro district municipality in 2007. This money was allocated based on the official letter of MIA to district municipality dating May 21, 2007. In 2008 64 500 GEL was allocated from district budget for district police based on official letter of MIA dating October 9, 2008 too. 22 000 GEL were allocated for bills, 42 500 - for reconstruction.

2009 Dedoplistkaro district budget was approved on December 23, 2008. 20 000 GEL is allocated for district police division.
Lagodekhi district police division received large sum of money from district budget too. According to Resolution # 10 dating February 7, 2007 and Resolution # 47 dating August 31, 2007 of Lagodekhi district council, Lagodekhi district police division received 20 000 GEL from the district budget. 220 000 GEL was allocated for the reconstruction and for covering bill from district budget based on Resolution #2 dating February 12, 2008 of district council. The district police division received 7 000 GEL in addition for covering bills based on the resolution dating September 10, 2008. Gia Gozalishvili, Lagodekhi District Governor told us that 20 000 GEL will be allocated to Lagodekhi district police division according to the district draft budget 2009.

We asked Giorgi Tsverava, the chairperson of Lagodekhi district council why money is allocated from district budgets to district police divisions when it is against the law. “I agree that police must be funded from national budget. We help the police only in covering communal, transportation and communication related expenses.

- Mr. Gia, what is the basis for allocation money from district budgets to district police divisions when it is against the law?
- The law does not prescribe allocation of money to police divisions by district municipalities. We only help them in covering communal expenses as I have already told you. We have the right to do so based on Georgian Law on Police and based on the Order of the Government of Georgia. The Order is signed by Zurab Nogaideli, former Premier Minister of Georgia.

- But you have also funded reconstruction expenses for Lagodekhi district police division.
- The Ministry of Economic Development gave us a former military base to sell it and transfer 200 000 GEL on the account of Lagodekhi district police division. The money would be spent on reconstruction police division building. We sold the military base. We transacted 200 000 GEL. The rest 132 000 GEL was spent on development of district infrastructure.” 

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