TBILISI, DFWatch – Opposition parties in Georgia object against the appointment of an employee at the Ministry of Justice as new head of the party finance monitoring body.

The objections come not only from the many fiercly anti-government parties, but also from those that signed an agreement with the government last summer about how to overhaul the election system. Later, the government introduced new elements that had not been agreed, and one of these is a stricter and more complicated regime to control party finances.

The statement strongly criticizes the appointment of a lawyer formerly employed at the chief prosecutor’s office as head of the financial monitoring of party politics. Opposition parties are against her appointment, because they think that ‘this way the ministry of Justice will personally control the opposition parties and will use it for harassment against them.’

In her new post at the Chamber of Control, Natia Mogeladze will instruct her staff to monitor not only the finances of parties, but also organizations and persons directly or indirectly connected to parties.

Mogeladze today used the new law about party finances to order a checkup on a movement recently established by financier Bidzina Ivanishvili. Politicians from the ruling party have argued that financial wealth should not spill over into political influence, while the opposition says Ivanishvili  is subject to politically motivated moves by authorities.