Prime Minister of Georgia reaffirmed his Government’s strong stance against corruption, emphasising that everything would be done to fight it to the fullest extent.

Answering the question regarding the detention of Romeo Mikautadze [former Deputy Minister of Economy], he noted that corruption was hindering the country’s development and combating it must remain one of the key priorities.

“Fighting corruption remains our main priority. We have publicly stated our ambitious goal of entering Europe’s top-3 for the lowest corruption levels. In this regard, many changes have been made in Georgia’s Government and, more broadly, in the governing structures. Everything will be done to combat corruption as much as possible, as it hinders the country’s development and must remain a key priority.

I cannot discuss the details of the specific [Romeo Mikautadze’s] case - that is the competence of law enforcement agencies, and they will examine and respond to such matters. We must wait for the outcome of the investigation”, - said Irakli Kobakhidze.

When asked about the possibility of questioning Mikautadze’s former supervisors - Kakha Kaladze and Levan Davitashvili - the Prime Minister emphasised that the investigation concerned Mikautadze’s activities within the Ministry of Economy: “The investigation relates to a specific individual’s activities at the Ministry of Economy. As for Levan Davitashvili, no one doubts his integrity. I cannot comment on the details - that is the job of the relevant law enforcement agencies. I want to thank everyone who thoroughly investigates such cases. It is up to law enforcement bodies to see these cases through to the end”.