A 2015 study by Transparency International Georgia revealed that the administrations of regional governors (state trustees) had spebt a total of GEL 3,419,880 on bonuses and salary supplements between January 1, 2012 and April, 2015. The following update presents our findings regarding bonuses and supplements issued by regional administrations in 2015:

• The total amount of bonuses and salary supplements issued by regional governor (state trustee) administrations in 2015 amounted to GEL 1,114,928.69, of which GEL 463,817.5 was spent on bonuses and GEL 680,111.19 on salary supplements.
• Compared to 2012-2014 the frequency and amount of bonuses decreased in 2015, however, the use of salary supplement saw a significant increase.
• Salary supplements were issued in all regional administrations on a monthly basis.
• Regional administrations of only Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and Guria provided us with information regarding the specific amounts of bonuses and supplements received by public officials. All other regional administrations only provided the total amount of bonuses and salary supplements that had been issued throughout the year.
• Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti regional administration spent the most on bonuses – GEL 63,960.
• Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti regional administration spent the most on salary supplements - GEL 167,712.26, as well as overall on bonuses and supplements combined – GEL 204,769.76.
• Parmen Margvelani, governor of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, received salary supplements of GEL 35,400 and bonuses of GEL 2,950 (total of GEL 38,350).
• Gia Salukvadze, governor of Guria since May 2015, received salary supplements of GEL 22,668 and bonuses of GEL 2,950.
• Ketevan Moistsrapishvili, deputy governor of Guria until May 2015, received salary supplements of GEL 12,732 and bonuses of GEL 2,360.
• The governors of Racha-Lechkhumi and Guria received monthly supplements throughout 2015. Our findings suggest that the same practice was in place in other regional administrations as well.

According to Resolution N627 on the Approval of the Public Service Reform Concept adopted by the Georgian Government on November 19, 2014, a salary supplement is defined as a temporary increase in salary due to various objective factors such as work location or overtime work. The increase in salary lasts only for as long as the objective factor is in place.

Some regional administration officials receive salary supplements without justification in violation of the principle behind issuing supplements. The responses from only Kakheti, Guria, and Racha-Lechkhumi regional administrations specified that some of their officials were granted salary supplements for overtime work. An administrative authority must justify the necessity of issuing a salary supplement for each case separately and specify the criteria according to which the supplement is being issued to a public servant.

Bonuses in regional administrations are regulated by Resolution N449 on the Approval of Rules for Determining the Amount of Bonuses in Public Institutions adopted by the Georgian Government on July 15, 2014. This resolution, however, contains a number of flaws, which allow the possibility for public institutions to continue misusing the bonus system.

Unfortunately, some regional administrations did not provide us with full information on bonuses and salary supplements received by specific public officials, which has hindered the scope of our research. Responsible persons in these regional administrations must recognize the importance of accessibility to public information. By failing to provide such information they disregard legitimate public interest.