Press Scanner
Compiled by Eter Tsotniashvili
Monday, July 7
“Will Bokeria be prosecutor general?”
Akhali Taoba writes up the speculation surrounding a merger of the Justice Ministry and Prosecutor General’s Office. The move is rooted in court intrigue, by the newspaper’s account, and may involve influential government figure Giga Bokeria:
“There was a lot of conversation about Bokeria in this week. Since he became deputy foreign minister he has been in the shadows, but his word is still valuable in the government.
If we believe the opposition, Bokeria chose the heads of the parliamentary committees. They also say that Bokeria was the one to combine the Prosecutor General’s Office and Justice Ministry.
Now there are discussions on who will lead these two organizations. They say current Justice Minister Nika Gvaramia has already been guaranteed this place. On the other hand, the opposition say that Giga Bokeria is preparing to take this post.
Lawyer Lali Aptsiauri is sure that after Bokeria gets this post he will take away from [the control of Interior Minister Vano] Merabishvili the prisons given to Justice Ministry [control] some years ago. Aptsiauri claims the prisons are [in actuality] owned by the Interior Ministry, and the only person who will be able to return the prisons to Justice Ministry [control] is Giga Bokeria.
Merabishvili is also in the center of attention but no one has demanded his resignation. As it seems, the opposition understood that this demand is senseless.
But Republican Levan Berdzenishvili thinks that the president will demote Merabishvili soon and we will have a new interior minister.
The members of National Movement deny all these reports and state that Merabishvili will maintain his post.”
“New fund will aid Isani’s development”
Sakartvelos Respublika reports on MP Giorgi Goguadze’s development fund to aid the Tbilisi district which elected him to parliament, Isani:
“The presentation of the newly-founded Fund for Isani Development was held in the Sheraton Metekhi Palace, where the founder of the organization, majoritarian MP for Isani addressed the public:
‘With my initiative and with my businessmen friends support, we’ve founded the Fund for Isani Development in our district. The main goal of the fund is to improve Isani residents’ socioeconomic conditions, as well as support sport, cultural and educational activities.
The fund’s activities will be transparent. [My MP’s salary] will be directly transferred to the fund, and I am sure many of you will respond to my initiative and together help Isani residents to solve their problems.
It is the first [such] initiative in our political history and an example of how each MP, businessman or just ordinary person should be involved in their districts’ development process.
May 21 [the date of the parliamentary elections] was not my victory. The main victory will be when we will solve Isani’s problems,’ Giorgi Goguadze said, urging representatives of small and big businesses to get involved with the fund.”
“High school graduate prisoner passed the first exam”
A young inmate is taking the national exams in hopes for qualifying to study at a university, Sakartvelos Respublika reports:
“On July 4 at the national exam on Georgian language and literature, one high school graduate prisoner came with security. 17-year-old Valeri Bakradze registered for the exams before committing his crime, which is why the ministries of education and justice decided to give the prisoner the right to take the national exams.
Bakradze chose to apply to the faculty of business administration. According to head of the national exams center Maia Miminoshvili, if he passes all the exams the prisoner will be able to study through correspondence courses.
Bakradze was arrested for stealing a mobile phone in April.”
Akhali Taoba writes up the speculation surrounding a merger of the Justice Ministry and Prosecutor General’s Office. The move is rooted in court intrigue, by the newspaper’s account, and may involve influential government figure Giga Bokeria:
“There was a lot of conversation about Bokeria in this week. Since he became deputy foreign minister he has been in the shadows, but his word is still valuable in the government.
If we believe the opposition, Bokeria chose the heads of the parliamentary committees. They also say that Bokeria was the one to combine the Prosecutor General’s Office and Justice Ministry.
Now there are discussions on who will lead these two organizations. They say current Justice Minister Nika Gvaramia has already been guaranteed this place. On the other hand, the opposition say that Giga Bokeria is preparing to take this post.
Lawyer Lali Aptsiauri is sure that after Bokeria gets this post he will take away from [the control of Interior Minister Vano] Merabishvili the prisons given to Justice Ministry [control] some years ago. Aptsiauri claims the prisons are [in actuality] owned by the Interior Ministry, and the only person who will be able to return the prisons to Justice Ministry [control] is Giga Bokeria.
Merabishvili is also in the center of attention but no one has demanded his resignation. As it seems, the opposition understood that this demand is senseless.
But Republican Levan Berdzenishvili thinks that the president will demote Merabishvili soon and we will have a new interior minister.
The members of National Movement deny all these reports and state that Merabishvili will maintain his post.”
“New fund will aid Isani’s development”
Sakartvelos Respublika reports on MP Giorgi Goguadze’s development fund to aid the Tbilisi district which elected him to parliament, Isani:
“The presentation of the newly-founded Fund for Isani Development was held in the Sheraton Metekhi Palace, where the founder of the organization, majoritarian MP for Isani addressed the public:
‘With my initiative and with my businessmen friends support, we’ve founded the Fund for Isani Development in our district. The main goal of the fund is to improve Isani residents’ socioeconomic conditions, as well as support sport, cultural and educational activities.
The fund’s activities will be transparent. [My MP’s salary] will be directly transferred to the fund, and I am sure many of you will respond to my initiative and together help Isani residents to solve their problems.
It is the first [such] initiative in our political history and an example of how each MP, businessman or just ordinary person should be involved in their districts’ development process.
May 21 [the date of the parliamentary elections] was not my victory. The main victory will be when we will solve Isani’s problems,’ Giorgi Goguadze said, urging representatives of small and big businesses to get involved with the fund.”
“High school graduate prisoner passed the first exam”
A young inmate is taking the national exams in hopes for qualifying to study at a university, Sakartvelos Respublika reports:
“On July 4 at the national exam on Georgian language and literature, one high school graduate prisoner came with security. 17-year-old Valeri Bakradze registered for the exams before committing his crime, which is why the ministries of education and justice decided to give the prisoner the right to take the national exams.
Bakradze chose to apply to the faculty of business administration. According to head of the national exams center Maia Miminoshvili, if he passes all the exams the prisoner will be able to study through correspondence courses.
Bakradze was arrested for stealing a mobile phone in April.”