BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Only 13 percent of the government reserve fund has been spent on the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia in 2020 and in the six months of 2021, the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information in Georgia (IDFI) says, Trend reports citing Georgian media.
The IDFI says that in the reporting period 67 million GEL ($21 million) was allocated from the government reserve fund, of which 61.8 million GEL ($20 million) was spent ‘on various purposes’, including on the fight against the pandemic.
According to the IDFI, money spent on the coronavirus fight totaled 7.9 million GEL ($2.5 million).
In particular, 22.7 million GEL / $7.3 million (37 percent of total expenditures) was spent on international arbitration disputes and ongoing proceedings in foreign courts, 14.4 million GEL / $4.6 million (23 percent) - on financing the Ministry of Defense, 6.5 million GEL / $2 million (10 percent) - for the second round of elections and 5.6 million GEL / $1.8 million (nine percent) - on the procurement of lobbying and consulting services
“The remaining 4.2 million GEL ($1.3 million) was spent on ‘various purposes',” IDFI reports.
In addition, the IDFI says that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received about half a million GEL ($160,129) which was allocated as a state secret.
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