The News in Brief
Thursday, July 31
President Convenes NSC over NATO
President Giorgi Margvelashvili has convened a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) for August 1 to discuss Georgia’s preparations for the NATO summit in Wales in September, which the President will be attending.
It will be the first NSC session since President Margvelashvili took office in November.
The role of the NSC, which is chaired by the President whose authorities have been significantly downsized by the constitution that went into force last November, was sidelined by the security and crisis management council, which was established late last year and which is chaired by the Prime Minister.
At a meeting in June, NATO foreign ministers decided that no membership action plan for Georgia on the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit and instead agreed to offer Georgia a “substantive" package to help the country move further closer to the Alliance. (civil.ge)
Roman Shamatava found not guilty of terrorizm
Former head of the Georgian Interior Ministry’s Constitutional Security Department of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic Division, Roman Shamatava has been found not guilty of terrorism offences by the City Court in Tbilisi, over an alleged plot in 2008.
In addition, the chief prosecutor’s office of Georgia accused Shamatava of abuse of power and the City Court sentenced on Wednesday to him 4 years and 6 months in prison.
We remind you that Georgian Interior Ministry's State Security Agency officers on 22 October, 2014 detained former head of MIA's Constitutional Security Department of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic Division, Roman Shamatava and the former staff member of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Special Task Unit, Malkhaz Murghulia in connection with the incident in the village of Khurcha on 21 May, 2008. They were charged with terrorism offenses. (Frontnews)
Parliament looks to approve salary bonus rules for public servants
A new amendment is being added to the Public Service Law, which introduces new salary bonus regulations for people working in Government structures.
The draft law was initiated at the Bureau session of Parliament on July 29, and will likely be discussed by Parliament in its autumn session.
Under the new rules, high ranking public figures will be deprived the right of prescribing bonuses to themselves.
As Parliament Member Tina Khidasheli said, no high ranking public figures will receive bonuses any more.
"Everyone who is elected by people in Sakrebulos, Adjarian Autonomic Republic, Georgian Parliament and people chosen by these elected people will not receive salary bonuses,” she said.
"The state budget should not depend on the morals of anyone. There should be a budgetary discipline policy between officials. This discipline requires that the Georgian population and voters know where budget money is being spent,” Khidasheli noted.
The MP said the Parliamentary minority were "speculating” with the salary bonus topic, because Parliament Members constantly received bonuses after the 2003 Rose Revolution.
The new draft-law will foresee all bonuses be required to be signed off by the head of a division only after an employee’s direct supervisor provided a detailed explanation why the person deserved a bonus. If there was no person who ranked higher in a Governmental institution, the Prime Minister will be given the right to decide if a bonus was necessary.
Cash bonuses cannot be higher than the person’s salary and bonuses will be offered no more than once every quarter. (agenda.ge)
Executive director of Municipal Development Fund dismissed
Giorgi Somkhishvili, the executive director of the Municipal Development Fund, has been dismissed. The Prime Minister has issued a decree about the dismissal, which has been posted on the website of the government’s administration.
Giorgi Somkhishvili’s replacement has not been named yet.
Somkhishvili was appointed as the executive director of the Municipal Development Fund in April. (IPN)
Elguja Khokrishvili presented his deputies
Minister for Environment and Natural Resources of Georgia, Elguja Khokrishvili has presented his deputies.
According to Khokrishvili, his deputies will be Teimuraz Murghulia and Zurab Kopadze. As for other two deputies, as the minister says, consultations are underway and he will present them in the near future. (Frontnews)
President Giorgi Margvelashvili has convened a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) for August 1 to discuss Georgia’s preparations for the NATO summit in Wales in September, which the President will be attending.
It will be the first NSC session since President Margvelashvili took office in November.
The role of the NSC, which is chaired by the President whose authorities have been significantly downsized by the constitution that went into force last November, was sidelined by the security and crisis management council, which was established late last year and which is chaired by the Prime Minister.
At a meeting in June, NATO foreign ministers decided that no membership action plan for Georgia on the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit and instead agreed to offer Georgia a “substantive" package to help the country move further closer to the Alliance. (civil.ge)
Roman Shamatava found not guilty of terrorizm
Former head of the Georgian Interior Ministry’s Constitutional Security Department of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic Division, Roman Shamatava has been found not guilty of terrorism offences by the City Court in Tbilisi, over an alleged plot in 2008.
In addition, the chief prosecutor’s office of Georgia accused Shamatava of abuse of power and the City Court sentenced on Wednesday to him 4 years and 6 months in prison.
We remind you that Georgian Interior Ministry's State Security Agency officers on 22 October, 2014 detained former head of MIA's Constitutional Security Department of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic Division, Roman Shamatava and the former staff member of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Special Task Unit, Malkhaz Murghulia in connection with the incident in the village of Khurcha on 21 May, 2008. They were charged with terrorism offenses. (Frontnews)
Parliament looks to approve salary bonus rules for public servants
A new amendment is being added to the Public Service Law, which introduces new salary bonus regulations for people working in Government structures.
The draft law was initiated at the Bureau session of Parliament on July 29, and will likely be discussed by Parliament in its autumn session.
Under the new rules, high ranking public figures will be deprived the right of prescribing bonuses to themselves.
As Parliament Member Tina Khidasheli said, no high ranking public figures will receive bonuses any more.
"Everyone who is elected by people in Sakrebulos, Adjarian Autonomic Republic, Georgian Parliament and people chosen by these elected people will not receive salary bonuses,” she said.
"The state budget should not depend on the morals of anyone. There should be a budgetary discipline policy between officials. This discipline requires that the Georgian population and voters know where budget money is being spent,” Khidasheli noted.
The MP said the Parliamentary minority were "speculating” with the salary bonus topic, because Parliament Members constantly received bonuses after the 2003 Rose Revolution.
The new draft-law will foresee all bonuses be required to be signed off by the head of a division only after an employee’s direct supervisor provided a detailed explanation why the person deserved a bonus. If there was no person who ranked higher in a Governmental institution, the Prime Minister will be given the right to decide if a bonus was necessary.
Cash bonuses cannot be higher than the person’s salary and bonuses will be offered no more than once every quarter. (agenda.ge)
Executive director of Municipal Development Fund dismissed
Giorgi Somkhishvili, the executive director of the Municipal Development Fund, has been dismissed. The Prime Minister has issued a decree about the dismissal, which has been posted on the website of the government’s administration.
Giorgi Somkhishvili’s replacement has not been named yet.
Somkhishvili was appointed as the executive director of the Municipal Development Fund in April. (IPN)
Elguja Khokrishvili presented his deputies
Minister for Environment and Natural Resources of Georgia, Elguja Khokrishvili has presented his deputies.
According to Khokrishvili, his deputies will be Teimuraz Murghulia and Zurab Kopadze. As for other two deputies, as the minister says, consultations are underway and he will present them in the near future. (Frontnews)