Tbilisi. Transparency International – Georgia has released information on issuing of bonuses in the local self-governments based on the public information obtained from the administrative agencies. "The new management of a bulk of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regional municipalities carries on the fallacious practice of their forerunners and issues bonuses to the employees without any justification," says the organization's web page. For the full text. Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy has presented the third monitoring report of the post-election processes. The report includes information on the political developments within the self-governments, staff changes, protest rallies and legal prosecution exercised against the local self-government officials. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) has released the blog post – "Granting Property to the State (2006-2010)". Blog post includes the analysis of information obtained from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, drafted by IDFI based on the copies of agreements on the free of charge transfer (granting) of shares of legal entities of private law into the state ownership in 2004-2013. For the full text. Source: opendatablog.wordpress.com

Tbilisi.  On April 12 Transparency International – Georgia has released the new report "Finances of Political Parties in 2012". The report analyzes annual financial declarations of the nine political unions that have received over 1% of votes independently or within the election bloc in the 2012 parliamentary elections. The Report – "Finances of Political Parties in 2012" Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has filed an administrative complaint with the Public Broadcaster due to a refusal to issue public information. "Requested information contains neither the state, professional nor commercial secret. LEPL Public Broadcaster has refused the Institute without any grounds. We hope that LEPL Public Broadcaster will react adequately to the complaint of the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information," says the organization's web page. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. "Transparency International – Georgia" has filed a claim on April 5 in the Tbilisi City Court, requesting the invalidation of the 25 January 2013 Order of the Minister of Finance and the subsequent Order of the Head of the Revenue Service, "which restricts the customs clearance procedures of the small and medium carriers and puts the Georgian Post in the dominant position." For the full text. Source: transparency.ge/

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released various sets of public information obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The Ministry has provided incomplete information on the bonuses of officials and employees and the events funded in 2012. In respect of bonuses the Ministry has provided only the total number of bonuses issued to the employees and officials," – says the web page. According to the information provided to the organization, total of 351,307 GEL were issued as bonuses from 1 January 2012 until 1 December 2012. As for the information on the events, total expenses on the events in 2012 amounted to 124,668 GEL. For the full text (geo) Source: www.opendata.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association and Transparency International – Georgia have presented the monitoring results of the court hearings on the criminal and administrative cases held in the Tbilisi, Batumi, Khelvachauri, Gori, Telavi and Kutaisi City Courts. This monitoring is carried out by GYLA and Transparency International - Georgia with funding from the US Agency for International Development through the "Judicial Independence and Legal Empowerment Project" (JILEP), which is implemented by the East-West Management Institute. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) has carried out the first and second stages of the court monitoring process of criminal trials in the Tbilisi City Court from October 2011 until April 2012, while the third stage of monitoring covers the period from July 2012 until January 2013. Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. NGOs express concerns over the disseminated information concerning the verbal and physical insult of GYLA employees by the Head of the Adjara Department of the MoI Valerian Telia in Batumi. "We believe that the action of the Head of the Adjara Regional Police of the Ministry of Interior includes elements of the crime. Based on the information at our disposal, instead of timely and objective investigation of this fact, unfortunately there is an attempt of covering up a crime and carrying out an incomplete investigation," says the statement.NGOs urge the Ministry of Interior to investigate this case timely, fully and impartially. For the full text: Source: facebook.com/IDFI.official

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released public information obtained from the President's administration. The information posted on the web site covers bonuses issued since 1 January 2012, gas expenses, vehicles on the balance, state procurements, employed persons, number of staff in the administration and dismissals of servants since 20 October 2012. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released public information obtained from the Social Service Agency, including the information on the budget balance, bonuses issued since 1 January 2012, vehicle fleet expenses, staff list and salaries, dismissal of employees and 10 December reports. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi.The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released the information obtained from the National Security Council. Documents include information on the budget balance, bonuses issued since 1 January 2012, vehicle fleet expenses, funded events, staff list and salaries, employees dismissed at their own will and by the management, and the 10 December reports. For the full text. Source: opendata.ge

Tbilisi.Transparency International – Georgia has released a statement on the order of the Minister of Finance. The organization believes that the Order N30 of the Minister puts the "Georgian Post" in a favorable position. Transparency International – Georgia explains the meaning of the Order of the Minister of Finance and the problems that the new norms contain, as well as the favorable position of the "Georgian Post". The statement includes the organization's recommendations towards the Government. For the full text. Source:transparency.ge

Tbilisi. ISFED has examined the staff changes taking place in local self-governments in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections. "Pursuant to the obtained public information that the organization has requested from all municipalities of Georgia, 1790 employees were dismissed from 1 October 2012 until 28 February 2013. Staff changes have affected 54 Gamgeobas and 25 Sakrebulos out of 69 municipalities", – says the information released by the organization.For the full text –Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi.The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association have presented the monitoring report of staffing of the election administration. During the period of 2012 parliamentary elections, the organizations have monitored the staffing of district election commissions, observance of the Code of Ethics by the servants of election administration, and the imposition of relevant responsibility on the servants in cases of breach of legislation as part of the joint project. The project aimed at developing recommendations for the election administration to introduce a better practice of staffing of the election commissions and build trust towards them. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has published the article: "Has the income of ministers in Georgia decreased or increased?""Based on the Order N53 of the Prime Minister of Georgia it could be said that from now on the monthly gross salary of a minister in Georgia is set at 7,875 GEL (3,540 GEL salary and 4,335 GEL bonus). Accordingly, without bonuses, an annual income of a member of the Government of Georgia (minister) equals 94,500 GEL (75,600 GEL net), while the salary fund for 19 ministers is 1,795,500 GEL" – says the organization's page. For the full text. Source: idfi.ge

Tbilisi. Transparency International – Georgia has released the statement concerning the voucher advertising of the Tbilisi City Hall. "We believe this fact can be comprehended as an abuse of administrative resources”; "the video resembles very much a pre-election political advertising, where the Tbilisi Mayor is the main hero”, says the statement. Transparency International – Georgia addresses the Georgian National Communications Commission to draw attention to the issue of political advertising and to take respective measures, as well as the State Audit Office to examine this case and react adequately. For the full text. Source: transparency.ge

Tbilisi. The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association has addressed the Tbilisi Mayor with an open letter. GYLA requests to issue the public information requested by the application submitted in the Tbilisi City Hall on February 11 and the address of the NNLE Tbilisi Development Fund. "We consider that especially when non-transparent spending of hundreds of millions of GEL transferred from the Tbilisi budget by the legal entities of private law is concerned, and the public is still not aware of the funds’ activities, the reports submitted to the Tbilisi City Hall (notwithstanding the fact that the Tbilisi City Hall is obligated to issue the reports under the court decision in legal force), and the wrong reference of the City Hall to the address of the Tbilisi Development Fund is unacceptable and raises even more questions as to the activities of the Fund”, says the letter. For the full text. Source: gyla.ge

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released the public information received from the Service Agency of the Ministry of Interior, including the information on bonuses, budget fulfillment reports, reports on issuing public information, dismissed employees, staff list and funded events. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released information on the amounts transferred to the budget raised from the please bargain agreements executed in 2009-2012. For the full text. Source: opendatablog.wordpress.com

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released public information obtained from the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia. "The received information makes it clear that since 1 January 2012 the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia and all of his three deputies used to receive monthly bonuses in the amount of 5,870 GEL. This tradition has not changed after October either, and the same amounts were issued as bonuses including January 2013". "In addition, total of 67 employees were dismissed from the Prosecutor's Office based on personal applications from 20 October 2012 until 18th of February", says the organization's web page. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.

Tbilisi. The Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information has released public information on the Emergency Response Center. The documents contain detailed information on the bonuses, budget fulfillment report, reports on issuing of public information, dismissed employees, the staff list, vehicle fleet expenses and the funded events. For the full text. Source: the organization's page in the social network.