“According to the Constitution of Georgia and the regulations of the Parliament, the nomination of the Auditor General is the exclusive authority of the Speaker of the Parliament, and within the framework of this authority, I am submitting to the Parliament the candidacy of Tsotne Kavlashvili for the position of the Auditor General,” said Shalva Papuashvili, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, at a special briefing.
According to Shalva Papuashvili, the term of office of the acting General Auditor of the State Audit Service expires on September 20 of this year.
The Chairman of the Parliament thanked Irakli Mekvabishvili for his work. According to his assessment, during the period of activity of Irakli Mekvabishvili, the State Audit Service has moved to a new stage of development.
“Today, according to all objective studies, the audit service deserves the highest marks. In particular, according to the joint evaluation carried out by the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2022, the State Audit Service received 3.4 points out of the maximum 4 points. And, according to the independence index of the World Bank, the State Audit Service of Georgia has been evaluated with 9.5 points out of a maximum of 10 points. I would like to express my special thanks to Irakli Mekvabishvili and all employees of the State Audit Service for these results”, said the Chairman of the Parliament.
According to Shalva Papuashvili, Tsotne Kavlashvili, nominated for the post of Auditor General, is an example of a professional and conscientious civil servant.
“Tsotne Kavlashvili worked in the Ministry of Finance for many years. He is an example of a professional and conscientious civil servant who has gone through all levels of public service from an ordinary specialist to a deputy minister in 15 years. In his capacity as Deputy Minister, he has overseen audit activities and has an in-depth knowledge of this area. Since 2013, he is also the head of the state treasury. In addition, Mr. Tsotne has a great experience of cooperation with international and donor organizations and relations with financial structures”, said the Chairman of the Parliament.
Shalva Papuashvili emphasized the importance of fruitful cooperation between the Parliament of Georgia and the State Audit Service and expressed hope that the opposition will support the new auditor general.
“The State Audit Service is one of the main tools that helps the Parliament and each of its members to supervise the regularity and effectiveness of spending state funds. Therefore, it is particularly important that the fruitful cooperation that has been established between the Parliament and the State Audit Service continues with the same intensity. The vote on the election of the Auditor General will be held next week. I am sure that Mr. Tsotne will have the full support of the parliamentary majority. At the same time, considering that the audit service is an important institution for all members of the parliament, I hope that the opposition colleagues will also support the new auditor general”, said Shalva Papuashvili.
Tsotne Kavlashvili thanked the Chairman of the Parliament for the expressed trust.
“I am fully aware of the great responsibility that will be imposed on me in case of approval. I will spare no effort to make this most important and successful institution even more effective and successful”, said Tsotne Kavlashvili
