Transparency International  Georgia examined the work of Tbilisi City Hall Regulatory Council on the Use and Development of Territories (so-called “Zoning Council”) for the period of 2014-2017. The council reviews, prepares corresponding conclusions and makes recommendations on the use and development of the territories in the city of Tbilisi.

The study produced the following findings:

• The Zoning Council does not provide for effective prevention of the conflict of interest or corruption risks. The study revealed a number of instances when the Zoning Council decisions carried high risks of the conflict of interest and corruption;
• High-ranking officials of the Architecture Service have direct or indirect connections to construction business companies and are, at the same time, applicants to the Architecture Service / Zoning Council. In parallel, they are actively involved in construction business (in the capacity of architects); for example, in 2014-2017, former heads of the Architecture Service, Nino Ghoghoberidze, Dimitri Mosulishvili and Levan Dzagnidze, received the total of 11 approvals of the zoning status change;
• With regard to invited members of the Zoning Council, we have encountered many instances when invited experts were themselves parties interested in a certain decision (as applicants to the Zoning Council, authors and architects of specific projects), which creates high risks of the conflict of interest. For example:

• Giorgi Sulaberidze, who is actively working in the architectural field, in parallel with being a member of the Council acted as a project architect; in several cases, his business partner was a project applicant. Companies connected to Giorgi Sulaberidze received the total of 25 approvals.
• Also in parallel with working at the Council, Irakli Murghulia acted as an applicant too. On 16 July 2015, Irakli Murghulia submitted one application to the Zoning Council, asking for the functional zone change for the territory on Zurgovana Street in Saburtalo District. His request was satisfied;

• During the period covered by this study, we have found that persons who have or had direct connections to the ruling political party were among those interested in certain decisions by the Zoning Council. These persons were also among those who made donations to the ruling political team. The cases related to the incumbent and former members of parliament, Ivliane Tsulaia, Grigol Liluashvili, Gocha Enukidze and Valeri Gelashvili, are especially interesting. The Zoning Council issued the total of 10 approvals based on which the zoning status of territories throughout Tbilisi was changed and the construction of apartment blocks became possible.