The Defense and Security Committee discussed for the I reading the Draft Law and the legal package on the Intelligence Service. According to the First Deputy Chair of the Committee, Tengigz Sharmanashvili, the Intelligence Service shall be transformed into a unit subordinate to the State Security Service - the National Intelligence Agency, the Director and his Deputy of which shall be appointed and dismissed by the Chief of the Security Service.

“The National Intelligence Agency shall be accountable to the Chief of the Security Service. The oversight of the Agency shall also be assigned to the Chief of the Security Service. The Agency shall also be subjected to the parliamentary control”, - he elucidated.

The legal package also regulates the issues pertaining to the activity, management, accountability, human and material resources of the Agency.

The Committee also discussed for the I reading the Draft Organic Law on the Prosecution Service and the deriving Bills.

Archil Gorduladze, Chair of the Legal Issues Committee, clarified that criminal cases undertaken in the Special Investigation Service’s subordination will be delegated to the independent constitutional body, the investigation unit of the Prosecution Service, unless the aforementioned criminal offences were committed by a Prosecution Service officer.

“The legal amendments annul the Special Investigation Service and the vagueness pertaining to its status, specifically, that the Constitution stipulates certain bodies existent in the legal system: legislative and executive authorities, the judicial system and independent constitutional bodies. It is also noteworthy that the investigation pertains to the competence of the supreme state bodies and these bodies are also directly determined in the Constitution and the Special Investigation Service is not among them”, - he stated.

The Committee got cognizant of the Draft Defense Code initiated by the Government.

According to the Deputy Defence Minister, Grigol Giorgadze, the practice upon the adoption of a new Defense Code and the reforming in its system revealed certain issues, the regulation of which required new amendments.

The amendments are of a contextual and technical nature and provide the issues pertaining to the granting of the rank of sergeant, the passing of the military service by the public officer, as well as the annulment of the Central Conscription Commission and the vacations for the military personnel.

The Committee approved the Drafts.