Opportunities for Corruption Created by COVID-19: The Case of Georgia

Abstract

Georgia, once a successful example of how a newly independent state can fight corruption, has seen a rise in potentially corruption-related activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main reasons behind that are weak democratic institutions and an unstable system of checks and balances. This article is concerned with two specific areas in which numerous reports have identified suspicious activities involving relationships between government officials and private companies. These two areas are (1) the simplified state procurement procedures related to the healthcare sector and quarantine zones and (2) the vaccine deployment process. Due to the absence of any full-scale investigation into the matter, the effectiveness of the Georgian government’s anti-corruption measures cannot be determined. However, using simplified procurement procedure to transfer large sums of taxpayers' money to businesses connected with the Georgian ruling party as well as significant flaws in the COVID-19 National Vaccine Deployment Plan raises important questions that still remain unanswered.