Corruption and organized crime in Georgia before and after the ‘Rose Revolution’

Abstract

The Soviet collapse in 1991 led to political turmoil, armed conflicts, rampant corruption, and to the growth of organized crime and smuggling in post-Soviet Georgia. Professional criminals called ‘kanonieri kurdebi’ (‘thieves-in-law’) captured the state, and criminalization of the government and law-enforcement structures caused a deep political crisis in the country and finally, revolutionary change of the political leadership. Massive arrests of most corrupt government officials, ‘thieves-in-law’, and other key criminals followed the Rose Revolution in 2003–2005. The new leadership implemented anti-corruption policies and law-enforcement reforms. The crime rate was reduced significantly. Yet, despite anti-corruption reforms, there continue to be repeated accusations of top government officials' involvement in ‘elite corruption’. The lack of democracy and threats coming from Russia are the main reasons why Georgia remains a country of high risk, vacillating between stability and turmoil. Turmoil generates corrupt government and provides professional criminals with opportunities.