Reform of the Procuracy Project

Reform of the Procuracy Project

On June 1, 2004, a presentation was held at the Marriot Hotel about the project entitled “Reform of the Procuracy,” which was opened by the head of the European Commission in Georgia and Armenia, Mr.Torben Holtze the director of the British Council, Ms. Jo  Bakovski  and the manager of the prosecutor’s reform Ms. Pamela Fahey.
Criminal justice reform is a key part of the new government’s program in Georgia. The British Council is contributing to this process by implementing a EC TACIS-funded project entitled “Reform of the Procuracy.” Project partners are the British Council, Altair Asesores and the Danish Institute for Human Rights. The British Council is the lead partner.  The project value is €800,000 with a further €200,000 for IT procurement and it will run until August 2005.
The Project “Reform of the Procuracy” will contribute to the establishment of the rule of law by facilitating reform of the criminal justice system in Georgia so that it meets the Council of Europe standards. The project aims to improve the administrative organization and effectiveness of the system, simultaneously increasing its transparency, improving human rights practices and advancing the fight against corruption.  An essential component of the project is to establish and sustain two pilot procuracy offices, one in Tbilisi and the other in Kutaisi.
The Project is divided into four components:
- Review of the administration of the procuracy – with a focus on efficiency and transparency of the procuracy;
- Introduction of information and communication technology – specially designed hardware and software to facilitate caseload management will be introduced in two pilot offices (Tbilisi and Kutaisi);
- Training of prosecutors – new curricula developed in both national and international law in consultation with the staff of the Prosecutor General.  We will also develop a code of ethics for the procuracy, again, in consultation with the procuracy;
- Raising public awareness of the project and ensuring sustainability – working closely with NGOs and improving understanding of the work of the procuracy among the public.
The Project team has offices in the General Prosecutors’ Office. The staff of the procuracy has been instrumental in providing support to the project team as well as assisting in the organization of events, providing space for meetings and assisting with logistics. 
In his report, Mr Holtz mentioned that, in the past, the work of the prosecutor wasn’t based on rule of law, but on  political power. The manager of the project, Ms. Pamela Fahey, mentioned that The British Council is glad to cooperate with General Prosecutor.
The main purpose of Prosecutor’s reform is to improve the administrative structure, develop its effectiveness, and increase the fight against corruption.
Working groups, consisting of representatives from the procuracy and civil society, have been established to assist the project team with the work of all four components.