Tamta Demurishvili will head the Vocational Training and Retraining Center for Convicts. The new director of the center plans to launch a number of new projects in the field of rehabilitation and re-socialization, which will make the activities of the agency even more effective.

Tamta Demurishvili has been the Head of the Medical Department of the Ministry of Corrections and Probation since 2014; has been appointed to the same position since 2018 in the Special Penitentiary Service; From 2004 to 2007, she was the Head of the Health Policy Department at the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, and held the position of Senior Advisor to the Minister in the same ministry. Tamta Demurishvili started working as the director of the Vocational Training and Retraining Center for Convicts today.

The new head was introduced to the staff by Deputy Minister of Justice, Buba Lomuashvili.

The Minister of Justice Rati Bregadze got acquainted with the process of construction of a new penitentiary institution in Laituri.

The facility for up to 700 prisoners, equipped with modern infrastructure, is scheduled to open in Laituri by the end of the year.

Laituri Penitentiary Institution is fully in line with European standards, as well as the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT).

The infrastructure project is tailored to the needs of both the convicts and the staff of the institution.

After Kutaisi, Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze presented the innovative service - Probbox to the employees of the Batumi Public Service Hall and the representatives of the local authorities. Today, probationers can use innovative technological equipment in Batumi, Kutaisi, Tbilisi, Telavi, Gori and Zugdidi; Gradually, it will be available across the country.

Probbox is the first innovative technological device in Europe, which integrates all the services that probationers used to need to visit probation bureaus. As a result of the introduction of an innovative product, probationers will be able to fulfill their obligations and receive services by means of this new technology.

Probbox services include: job offers, information on cancellation of probation, application for mitigation, communication with the probation officers and booking a video appointment with the convict.

Probbox is part of the 10-year development action plan of the Ministry of Justice. This Georgian innovation has already aroused great interest abroad.

Rati Bregadze continues meetings with the regional representations of the Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice visited today the community centers of Kobuleti and the village of Mukhaestate.

The Minister of Justice inspected the working process of the centers on the spot and got acquainted with the needs of the staff and users.

Rati Bregadze gave specific instructions to the management of Mukhaestate Community Center to further increase the availability of services

and outlined a future action plan in this direction.

The same day, the Minister of Justice also visited Batumi Penitentiary Institution # 3.

Rati Bregadze continues to visit the regional offices of the Ministry system throughout the country.

"The proper functioning of the regional representations of the system of the Ministry of Justice is of special importance," said the Minister of Justice during a meeting with the staff of the Imereti services of the Ministry of Justice.

Rati Bregadze got acquainted with the current working process of Tskaltubo and Kutaisi Public Service Halls and introduced to the Governor of Imereti and the Mayor of Kutaisi the innovative product of the National Probation Bureau - Probbox, which has already been officially launched in the Kutaisi Public Service Hall.

The Minister also visited today Geguti Penitentiary Institution and the newly renovated Kutaisi Probation Bureau and got acquainted with the ongoing works.

The leadership of the Ministry also met with the Kutaisi representatives of the Notary Chamber and the National Bureau of Enforcement and the staff of the Kutaisi Regional Archive.

As a result of investigative and procedural actions carried out in cooperation with the Special Penitentiary Service and the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, based on the court decision, the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice arrested B.M. And T.M on the fact of attempting to transfer drugs to a prisoner in a penitentiary institution.

The investigation established that on December 29, 2021, a parcel sent by T.M. through the Georgian Post Ltd entered the parcel department of the №15 penitentiary institution to be handed over to the convict. During the inspection of the parcel by the staff of the Special Penitentiary Service, it was found that the belt of the sports pants contained drug - buprenorphine.

As for B.M., the investigation established that he had placed a jacket containing heroin in a parcel sent by the Georgian Post Ltd. to be handed over to a convict placed in №15 Penitentiary Institution.

The General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice continues its investigation into the criminal case and states that as before, it will strictly follow the law and continue to fight crime in the system of the Ministry of Justice.

Chairperson of the Board of the Notary Chamber, Davit Putkaradze presented today the 2021 report at the general assembly. At the meeting, the notaries approved the 2022 budget of the Notary Chamber and discussed the annual plans.

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze addressed the notaries, spoke about the special contribution of notaries to the legal security and human rights process in the country and thanked them for their work.

The Minister also informed the notaries about their future plans and spoke about the legislative initiative, according to which it is planned to increase the age limit for notaries from 65 to 70.

The Chairperson of the Board thanked the Minister of Justice for the support of the Notary Chamber and each notary and presented the planned innovations. Citizens will soon be able to receive online notary services through a mobile application. The mobile application will also integrate other useful functionalities, including a map of notary offices.

At the end of the meeting, the Board held a swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed notaries, who passed the selection competition held at the Ministry last year and were appointed to the position of notaries. The Chamber of Notaries was joined by 18 new notaries, thus increasing the availability of notary services and the number of settlements where it was possible to receive notary services.

The newly appointed notaries are: Tea Tsitskhvaia (Mtskheta, village Saguramo), Nino Tvalmikhelashvili (Gurjaani), Tea Edisherashvili (Gardabani, Martkopi), Tamta Maisuradze (Aspindza), Lali Zviadadze (Vani), Mari Jvarsheishvili (Gardabani, Gamarjveba village), Nikoloz Berikashvili (Sighnaghi), Natia Jmukhadze (Tsalka), Giorgi Metreveli (Adigeni), Lana Kikvadze (Tsageri), Ketino Tunadze (Shuakhevi), Gvantsa Mikiashvili (Sagarejo), Ana Imerlishvili (Gurjaani, village Jachreti), Mariam Makaridze (Gurjaani), Ekaterine Nikoladze (Terjola), Salome Gvarjaladze (Borjomi), Liana Modebadze (Gurjaani), Nino Kakabadze (Kaspi).

The General Assembly awarded selected notaries for their contribution to the development of notary in the country with the title of "Honorary Notary".

The visit of the Minister of Justice to Armenia has ended. The last official meeting was held by Rati Bregadze with Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Alen Simonyan. The Minister introduced the new format of cooperation between Georgia and Armenia to him, which is envisaged in the memorandum signed between the two countries yesterday.

After the meeting, the Minister of Justice of Georgia assessed his visit to Armenia:

"We had a busy schedule for two days. These days we have agreed on completely new forms of cooperation and the first manifestation of this will be the Georgian-Armenian legal forum, which will be held in Georgia in February."

Rati Bregadze noted that the Armenian side is very interested in Georgian innovations - Mobile Public Service Halls, PROBBOX and systemic land registration reform, about which the Georgian delegation held a large-scale presentation in Armenia. The Minister thanked the Armenian colleague for the opportunity to visit the citizens of Georgia who are serving their sentences in Armenia at the Armavir Penitentiary Institution.

"I would like to thank my Armenian counterpart for allowing me to visit Georgian citizens serving sentences in the Armavir Penitentiary Institution.

The Minister of Justice of Georgia expressed hope that the Georgian-Armenian relations will be successful:

"I want to wish success to the cooperation on which we have laid the foundation. I am confident that together we will respond to all challenges in the field of legal cooperation."

Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze visited Armavir Penitentiary Institution within the framework of his visit to Armenia. The Minister of Justice inspected the infrastructure and talked to the citizens of Georgia who are serving their sentences in Armavir prison.

Rati Bregadze thanked the leadership of the penitentiary system for ensuring that the rights of prisoners are protected at a high level. Currently, 7 Georgian citizens are serving sentences in Armenia.