PM Kobakhidze: paying ministers less than ₾12,000 risks pushing them towards corruption

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has argued that ministers should earn at least 12,000 lari ($4,400) a month, saying lower salaries could push officials towards corruption.

Speaking on Monday, Kobakhidze said ministers’ responsibilities were comparable to senior positions in the private sector, where he claimed they could earn between 50,000 and 100,000 lari a month.

“If you pay a minister less than 12,000 lari, it means you are pushing them towards corruption,” Kobakhidze said.

He added that ministers currently receive approximately 12,000 lari a month after tax under the latest salary arrangements, although he said he was not certain of the exact figure.

Kobakhidze also said he was prepared to forgo planned salary increases in the coming years, despite an 8.4% increase scheduled across the public sector this year. He acknowledged that this could create pay disparities between his salary and those of some senior civil servants.

The prime minister argued that ministers’ salaries should reflect their responsibilities and the earnings available to people in comparable private-sector roles.