Prosecutor’s Office Will Study Case of IDPs

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

Kutaisi office of the Republic Party blames Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Guria region office of the investigative division within the Department of Revenues in negligence to their professional activities. The party petitioned to the prosecutor’s office to study the case on unreasonable expenditure and misappropriation of funds allocated for the rehabilitation of residential buildings of IDPs. According to the Republic Party members, the prosecutor’s office avoids to start investigation despite several petitions.

The argument is about the residential building in Belorussian Street in Kutaisi which was not worth for living soon after the IDPs were sheltered in. Thus, IDPs held several protest rallies in the town. They have been requesting minimal living conditions in vain.

“We applied to the Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Guria regional office of the department of Revenues and expressed our doubt about the quality of the implemented work and unreasonable expenditure of the allocated sums. We requested to start investigation to estimate the truth. After a long time we received the reply where they wrote that the problem raised by us did not exist in fact and consequently they had not studied anything,” said Nato Katamadze, head of the Kutaisi office of the Republic Party.

Head of the regional office of the investigation division within the Department of Revenues Sergo Giorgadze states the accusation of the Republic Party members is groundless. In his letter to the head of the Kutaisi office of the Republic Party he wrote that there is conclusion of the deputy governor of the Imereti region Niko Kachkachishvili about the living conditions for IDPs absolutely excludes the validity of the accusation.

“After that we appealed to the head of the department and requested so-called conclusion of Niko Kachkachishvili for what our appeal was not reacted at all. We also requested to provide us with the statue of his office. The reason for our request on the statue was our attempt to remind him and his colleagues about their functions and responsibilities. Almost after 4-month expectation the head of the office replied to us and sent link of their website in answer to our requests. Similar cynic attitude towards their work makes me think that the circle of offenders is increasing and their role in this violation is not minor at all. We appeal to the prosecutor’s office and hope that they will study the case impartially at least now,” said Katamadze.

According to the resolution of the investigative department of the Ministry of Finances of Georgia, the main goals of the department are: Article 5. A) Avoidance and exposing the crime, carrying out complete preliminary investigation within their competence; c) prevention, exposing crime and corruption in the field of finances and economics.

As for the newly renovated collective centers for IDPs (in Belorussian Street, and others as well), inhabitants state there are no conditions to live in and requires reconstruction again. They request assistance from the local authority and mostly from non-governmental organizations and opposition parties. Representatives of the NGOs state that monitoring of residential buildings is necessary during reconstruction activities and not post factum.