Georgia’s Parliament votes to abolish Special Investigation Service, reinstating Prosecutor’s Office oversight of abuse cases

Georgia’s parliament has adopted a legislative package that will abolish the country’s Special Investigation Service (SIS) as of 1 July, transferring its core functions back to the Prosecutor’s Office - a move critics warn undermines judicial independence and Georgia’s EU integration commitments.

The vote, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, will dissolve the agency tasked with investigating crimes committed by law enforcement and public officials, including torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, official misconduct, and election-related abuses.

Once enacted, the Prosecutor’s Office will regain control over investigations into a range of sensitive criminal offences, including torture and threats of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment,
abuse or exceeding of official authority, coercion to give testimony, election-related offences, including voter intimidation and ballot secrecy violations, official forgery and unlawful detention.

The abolition of the SIS marks a reversal of reforms introduced in 2019, when Georgia established an independent investigative body - initially the State Inspectorate - to enhance accountability for abuses by law enforcement. The State Inspectorate was dismantled in March 2022 and replaced with two agencies - the Special Investigation Service and the Personal Data Protection Service.

According to the adopted legislation, the head of the SIS, Koka Katsitadze, and his deputies will receive three months of compensation following the agency’s dissolution. All contracts and agreements made by the Service will be annulled.

Ensuring the independence of the investigative agency was one of the nine conditions set by the European Commission when it granted Georgia candidate status for EU membership in 2023.

In its seventh recommendation, the Commission specifically called on Georgian authorities to amend SIS legislation in line with Venice Commission guidelines - aimed at strengthening institutional independence and insulating investigations from political influence.

Prior to the creation of the SIS and its predecessor, cases involving law enforcement misconduct - even those implicating prosecutors - were handled by the Prosecutor’s Office itself, drawing criticism for conflicts of interest.

Civil society groups and rights watchdogs have also criticised the SIS for its inaction in response to multiple complaints about alleged police violence during recent pro-European protests. No officers have been charged in connection with those incidents.

The legislation still requires final signature by President Mikheil Kavelashvili to become law.