81 against 7 - Parliament supported the abolition of the State Inspector’s Service

Parliament today voted in the second/third reading on a bill to abolish the State Inspector’s Service and approved it.

Eighty-one MPs voted in favour of abolishing the agency and seven MPs voted against it.

Now the document must be sent to the President of Georgia for signing.

Information on the initiative of the government to abolish the State Inspector’s Service was made public on December 25.

According to the amendment, instead of the State Inspector’s Service two agencies will be created - Special Investigation Service and Personal Data Protection Service:

The Special Investigation Service will investigate official crimes. As for the Personal Data Protection Service, it will perform the function of controlling the legality of personal data processing and controlling the activities carried out at the Central Bank to detect any covert investigative activities and electronic communications data.

It should be noted that the draft law on the abolition of the State Inspector’s Service has been strongly criticized both locally and internationally. International partners have called the accelerated review of the bill alarming and stated that the government is gradually weakening the country's democratic institutions.

As for the opposition, opponents of the government are convinced that a number of critical findings published by the office, including the inhuman treatment of Georgia's third president, are the reason for the abolition of the Inspectorate.

The Georgian Dream's decision came as a surprise to the head of the National Audit Office. Londa Toloraia said that "this is an attack on the service and revenge, on an agency who which was independent". She also expressed hope that President Salome Zurabishvili would veto the law.