Georgian Public Broadcaster: Court revokes law change and Board keep jobs
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A Georgian court of law has announced current Georgia’s Public Broadcaster (GPB) Board members still have the authority to make decisions relating to GPB, while the process to form a new Board continues.
Today, the Constitutional Court upheld a lawsuit by active GPB board members against Georgian Parliament.
The lawsuit saw GPB board members file a claim against dismissal of their roles due to amendments made to the Law on Broadcasting.
As a result of today’s Court decision, current amendment to the Law on Broadcasting were cancelled, which means current board members will not be fired before their contracts are terminated and at the same time, a new Board will not be formed.
Meanwhile, the process to create a new GPB board is continuing.
On February 19, a Court decision revoked the amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, which stated the GPB Board of Trustees must be formed by new rules until final verdict on the case is made.
The Law on Broadcasting amendments were approved by the Georgian Parliament after a three-month discussion in May, 2013.
The amendments were initiated by the Georgian Dream coalition. The changes were believed to ensure more financial transparency for television broadcasters.
In the lawsuit, the GPB Board indicated the amendments violated Article 24 (freedom of expression), Article 29 (right to occupy state position) and Article 30 (right to work) of the Georgian Constitution.
By allowing these amendments to be made, the Board of Trustees must be reformed by new rules and exiting Board of Trustees would not have the right to make decisions, including approval of broadcasting priorities and budget until the Board was elected by new rules.
Currently, the GPB Board is composed by seven members. Three of them (Mamuka Pashuashvili, Davit Kandelaki and Board Chairman Emzar Goguadze) are eligible to remain in their position until 2017 and four others (Zurab Davitashvili, Nino Danelia, Giorgi Meladze and Natalia Dvali) are due to end their duties in 2015.
In the meantime, according to the amendment which has now been scrapped, four new GPB Board members have already been elected. This process has been ongoing and will embark on the second round of approval for the remaining five members to be appointed.
In total nine trustees must be chosen for the GPB Board. Two will be named by the Ombudsman, three by the Parliamentary majority, three by the Parliamentary minority (1/4 of MPs) and one by the Supreme Court of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.
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