Georgia-Italy, joint fight against corruption. Study visit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Georgia in Rome

Georgia-Italy, joint fight against corruption. Study visit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Georgia in Rome

A delegation from the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Georgia (ACB) was received at the headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) in Rome on Monday, 5 May 2025, for a meeting attended by several ANAC representatives. The study visit took place in the framework of international exchange and cooperation activities within GRECO (Group of States against Corruption), the body set up by the Council of Europe to monitor anti-corruption standards and regulations, of which Georgia and Italy are members.

It was an institutional discussion - opened by the greetings of the President of ANAC, Giuseppe Busia, and of the Head of the ACB, Razhden Kuprashvili - which allowed to delve into areas and initiatives of common interest, in an exchange of experiences and best practices aimed at strengthening anti-corruption strategies and cooperation between the two institutions, also with the aim of effectively implementing the GRECO recommendations. In fact, the ACB is currently in the process of implementing the results of GRECO's 5th evaluation round, with interventions, in particular, in the areas of whistleblower protection, transparency and monitoring of assets and property held abroad by Georgian officials, among others. 

In addition to President Busia, ANAC was represented by Laura Valli, member of the Authority's Council, Sonja Levstik, international relations expert of the Authority, Roberto Gabrielli, official of the Office for the Monitoring of Corruption Prevention and Transparency, and Rosella Screpanti, advisor to the Office for the Regulation of Anti-Corruption and Transparency.
In addition to Kuprashvili, the ACB was represented by Giorgi Bagdavadze, Head of the International Relations Department, Nana Tchanturidze, Head of the Anti-Corruption Policy Department, Besiki Vekua, Head of the Asset Declaration Monitoring Department, and Giorgi Simonia, Head of the Whistleblower Protection Department.

The meeting with the Georgian delegation was an opportunity to compare the corruption prevention systems of Italy and Georgia and to discuss the progress made and the challenges faced in the implementation of the 5th GRECO evaluation round, as well as the issues of transparency and  obligations of public administrations to publish data and information, of asset declarations and those related to potential conflicts of interest, up to the protection of whistleblowers.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau pf Georgia has also recently become a member of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) network, of which the President of ANAC, Giuseppe Busia, is Vice-President, whose mission is that of promoting the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) by facilitating the exchange of experience and best practices between authorities responsible for preventing and combating corruption around the world.