Day: March 2, 2026

Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted two drones targeting the Ras Tanura oil refinery in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province on Monday, according to Defense Ministry spokesperson Turki al-Maliki in remarks to Al Arabiya, AzerNEWS reports.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau, a public body established in 2022 as part of EU-recommended reforms, was officially abolished on March 2, with its functions absorbed by the State Audit Office.

The decision was first announced in November 2025 by disputed Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, who argued that the Bureau’s responsibilities, including “collecting and monitoring the asset declarations of public officials, political parties and non-governmental organizations,” would “fit better” within the State Audit Office, which he described as a “higher and more independent constitutional body.”

Alongside the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Personal Data Protection Service has also been abolished as a separate body, with its functions likewise absorbed by the State Audit Office.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau, established under the European Commission’s fourth recommendation for Georgia’s EU candidate status, faced persistent criticism over what was widely described as a lack of independence and its use to target civil society organizations. Its sole head, Razhden Kuprashvili, appointed by then-PM Irakli Garibashvili, was widely seen as loyal to the ruling party.

In a farewell social media post, Kuprashvili praised the Bureau’s work, saying it has introduced a system that “made the assets of thousands of public officials visible, strengthened whistleblower protection, updated the national strategy, and showed the public that corruption is not invincible.”

In 2025, the bureau carried out a series of inspections of dozens of civil society and media organizations, as well as individuals, under several controversial laws, in what was widely considered political targeting of independent and government-critical groups.

In June, eight CSOs reported receiving court orders for inspections under the Law on Combating Corruption, the Law on Political Associations, and the Law on Grants. In August, seven CSOs said they were instructed to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which they refused, arguing the law did not apply to them.

In September, up to 30 organizations also reported receiving inspection requests under the Law on Grants, which they described as unlawful, noting they had not signed new grant agreements or amended existing ones since legislative changes entered into force.

In October, inspection requests were sent to at least six media groups and individual activists, requiring them to provide records of activities dating back to April 16, a day before the amendments to the Grants Law took effect, and to disclose their bank records.

Also Read:

• 27/08/2025 – Authorities Freeze Bank Accounts of Seven NGOs in ‘Sabotage’ Criminal Probe