Former Georgian Deputy Interior Minister Giorgi Lortkipanidze, who received Ukrainian citizenship on June 11, is to take on the duties of police chief in Ukraine's Odesa region on June 15, Odesa region governor Mikheil Saakashvili has said.

"He will take on these duties on Monday," Saakashvili told a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

A key problem plaguing local police is corruption, and "no one should expect a corruption-ridden service to work effectively," he said.

When explaining his decision to nominate Lortkipanidze as chief of the Odesa region's police, Saakashvili said: "I had no other choice."

"We are looking for Ukrainians. He is already forming his team and will put everything in order," he said.

Under Ukraine's law, the interior minister is responsible for appointing the police chiefs in the country's regions.