Audit Office should look into parties’ “illegal donations” via NGOs – ruling party MP

Mikheil Sarjveladze, the chair of the Human Rights Committee in the Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday responded to the statement by the Regional Development and Promotion Center, and shared its view the State Audit Office to investigate alleged illegal donations received by domestic political parties via non-governmental organizations founded by political figures or their affiliates. 

 

“There is a practice when political organizations create non-governmental organizations with the same name and staffed by the same individuals. Domestic laws ban foreign funding in politics”, Sarjveladze siad, adding such NGOs attracted foreign funding as non-governmental organizations and later used it for political goals. 

 

He welcomed if the state agency looked into the case and gave its legal assessments.