Reforms to be carried out in Interior Ministry
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Monday, June 29
The decision to separate the security and intelligence agencies from the Interior Ministry was made by Parliament, on its first reading, on June 27.
According to the government-proposed plan, which was debated in Parliament on June 12 and which has yet to be endorsed with its second and third reading, a separate agency should be set up from August 1.
To form the State Security Service from the Interior Ministry counter-terrorism center, counter-intelligence, anti-corruption agency; operative-technical department, which is an eavesdropping agency in charge of surveillance operations, and a special operations department will be separated.
The State Security Service will have about 4,000 employees, and require approximately 36.7 million GEL of funding in a period between August and year’s end. This amount of funding will be allocated from the Interior Ministry’s 2015 budget which stands at 638, 7 million GEL.
The candidate at the position of the head of the service will be selected by the Prime Minister (PM) of Georgia and will require 76 votes out of 150 for appointment.
In case of a failure to gain the support of Parliament, the same candidate can be re-nominated, but if rejected by lawmakers again, another candidate should be selected. Head of the State Security Service can serve only one six-year term in office.
Deputy heads of the State Security Service will be appointed by the PM.
In case if the Parliament fails to confirm a candidate of the agency by August 1, the PM will appoint an acting head before approval of a candidate.
The Parliament will have power to sack the head of the service, who has to deliver report to lawmakers once a year.
