Deputy Prosecutor General Davit Sakvarelidze will become Odesa Oblast’s chief prosecutor, a source familiar with the situation told the Kyiv Post on Sept. 14.
At the same time, he will keep his position as a deputy prosecutor general, the source said. The source suggested that the reason for the move was that Odesa Oblast Governor Mikheil Saakashvili needed a trusted man to crack down on corruption.
The source is not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Artem Demartino, a spokesman for the Prosecutor General’s Office, and Sakvarelidze’s spokesperson had no comment.
Sakvarelidze, who was Georgia’s first deputy prosecutor general from 2009 to 2012, is seen as close to Saakashvili, the ex-Georgian president. Saakashvili has announced a plan to crack down on corruption in Odesa Oblast, while Sakvarelidze launched an anti-corruption campaign at the Prosecutor General’s Office by arresting two top prosecutors in July.
The source also said that Sakvarelidze would “still be responsible for the open competition for the positions of top local prosecutors.”
Sakvarelidze oversees a reform of the Prosecutor General’s Office that envisages organizing a transparent and competitive hiring process for prosecutors. The source added that Sakvarelidze was still set to continue changing staff and work guidelines for the Prosecutor General’s Office and top regional prosecutors during the second stage of prosecutorial reform scheduled for next year.
Kyiv Post staff writer Johannes Wamberg Andersen can be reached at [email protected] and Kyiv Post staff writer Oleg Sukhov can be reached at [email protected]
