Georgia: former deputy minister of public health detained as suspect of corruption

Koka Pruidze, former deputy minister of public health, labour and social protection of Georgia, is suspected by the Control Chamber of taking part in a corruption deal at defining the winner of the tender within the vaccination programme.

As reported by the official website of the Control Chamber, in the course of the audit of the vaccination programme, violations were revealed connected with state purchases. According to the source, local officials had preferred the company "N Farma+" without any justification for purchasing vaccines. Subsequently, the Agency of Health and Social Programmes bought the vaccine with short shelf life, in cheap packing and in insufficient quantities. Besides, employees of the ministry increased the price of the vaccine.

Today at night, Pruidze was brought for interrogation to the Chief Prosecutor's Office. As reported by the IA "News-Georgia" with reference to the Georgian TV Channel "Imedi", Paata Imnadze, director of the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health, was also invited to interrogation.

According to the investigation, as a whole, employees of the ministry had caused damage to the state worth 1.7 million laris (about 977,500 US dollars).

The "Caucasian Knot" reported earlier that on August 17 the Transparency International published its Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The Georgia's CPI, as the company asserts, are permanently improved.

"Both citizens of Georgia and the world community agree that the level of everyday corruption in the country has dropped considerably. Nevertheless, the concern is still present as to the top-level corruption and corruption practice in the judiciary," runs the report.