Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli on Thursday appointed Alexy Alexishvili, who as economy minister pressed privatisation in the Caucasus state, to head a Finance ministry hit this week by a corruption scandal. Nogaideli said Economy Minister Alexishvili would replace Valery Chechelashvili, sacked on Wednesday after several high-ranking officials from the ministry's tax department were detained on suspicion of taking bribes.
"I have asked Alexy Alexishvili to become Finance Minister," Nogaideli told a news briefing. "Alexy has done a good job as Economy Minister and has played a strong role in the process of privatisation and in drafting plans for economic development."
The nomination does not require parliamentary approval. Nogaideli said he had handed the economy portfolio to the head of Georgia's state property agency, Irakly Chogovadze.
The pro-Western President Mikhail Saakashvili, who came to power in 2003 after a bloodless revolution, has ordered a crackdown on widespread tax evasion and bribery as a part of his efforts to turn the country into a European-style democracy.
Several prominent businessmen and officials of the ousted government, including the son-in-law of former president Eduard Shevardnadze, have been arrested and charged with bribery.