The Parliament of Georgia has approved the package of legislative changes envisaging the introduction of a witness and victim coordinator mechanism in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
According to legislative changes, the Witness and Victim Coordinator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia will support the witness / victim during the legal proceedings. In addition, the coordinator will assist the witness and the victim in establishing effective communication with the investigative authorities, provide them with appropriate information during the investigation phase, and, if necessary, offer state services to the witness and the victim and assist in the process of involvement in the mentioned services.
The analysis of the existing practice has clearly demonstrated that the Coordinator's Office has proved to be an effective mechanism and provided significant support to a number of witnesses and victims in order to facilitate their participation in the criminal procedures.
It is notable that according to legislative changes, at the investigative phase, the investigator is authorized to involve the witness and victim coordinator in the criminal case to facilitate the prompt delivery of services.
According to the package of legislative changes, the functions of the coordinators of the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been separated to facilitate the efficient redistribution of resources in the future.
