World

The Human Rights report of the US Department of State talks about the events around Omega Group

The US Department of State published the annual report on the human rights violations. The mentioned document describes the violations that occurred around the world last year. As for Georgia, the State Department highlights election violations, corruption, lack of accountability and the situation in the occupied regions.

The report reviews the allegations of the corruption and the violence mentioned in the audio recordings released last year. The report also mentions the audio recordings released during the pre-election period, in which, the businessman Zaza Okuashvili is involved.

“The head of the Omega Group, a large conglomerate including Iberia TV, alleged that current and former high-level officials had demanded bribes and engaged in violent racketeering, to include the physical abuse of a former minister. As of December, the investigation into these tapes was ongoing”, - says the report.

The report also says that as of November 14, current and former public servants faced prosecution on charges of bribery while an additional 79 were charged with other misspending or abuse of office. In July authorities questioned the former ministers of infrastructure and economy in connection with a high-profile corruption case.

“Some observers considered these investigations politically motivated”, - says the report.