The NGO Transparency International Georgia (TI) reports that from September 2025 to April 2026, 379 public officials received gifts totaling 24 million GEL.
According to the organization’s study, during this period:
- 379 officials declared gifts with a total value of 24 million GEL;
- they received 11 million GEL in cash gifts, while another 12 million GEL was in real estate;
- cars, weapons, and jewelry were also received as gifts;
- 60.78% of all gifts were received from parents;
- among government agencies, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs declared the highest value of gifts — 2.3 million GEL.
TI notes that to prevent illicit enrichment, public officials are required to declare in their asset declarations any gifts received by them or their family members if their value exceeds 500 GEL. At the same time, the law prohibits accepting gifts whose value exceeds 5% of the official’s annual salary.
However, these restrictions do not apply to gifts received from family members or close relatives. According to the organization, while such a rule is justified in itself, without proper oversight it can become a loophole for laundering illicit income. In such cases, funds obtained in violation of the law can be declared as a gift from a relative.
In this regard, TI believes that every instance of declaring a major gift — whether a significant sum of money, expensive property, or services — should be verified by the State Audit Office. In particular, it is necessary to establish whether the donor had sufficient financial means to make such an expensive gift.
Between September 2025 and April 2026, more than 4,700 public officials filed declarations. Of these, 379 individuals declared gifts with a total value of 24 million GEL.
Real estate is the most common gift received by public officials. During the specified period, 100 people declared real estate with a total value of over 12 million GEL. This included 48 residential houses and 69 plots of land.
In addition, 233 officials received cash gifts totaling 11 million GEL. This averaged about 47,000 GEL per person. Furthermore, 28 public officials received gifts worth more than 100,000 GEL each.
The declarations also listed 28 cars and six weapons received as gifts.
TI points out that cash gifts are often issued in foreign currency. Out of the 11 million GEL declared during the period under review, the equivalent of 5.6 million GEL was received in US dollars, and another 1.7 million GEL in euros.
