Eka Beselia quits as Parliament’s Legal Committee head due to ‘unacceptable process’ related to judges

Head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Eka Beselia has quit the post and stated at a briefing today that her decision was related to the “hasty and unacceptable” process of lifetime appointment of judges with a “controversial past” to the Supreme Court of Georgia.

With my decision the process, which I believe to be very harmful, is temporarily suspended”, Beselia stated regarding the nomination of 10 judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia who should be voted on by parliament for approval.

Beselia says that the High Council of Justice (HCJ), an independent body which is responsible for the selection and appointment of judges in the country, must withdraw the list of judges it offered the parliament and the selection process of judges for the Supreme Court should be refined.

She said that several judges in the list are linked with politically grounded cases and unfair verdicts.

Beselia also said that she made the decision to resign only after her deputy in the committee Vano Zardiashvili also made the same decision.

I would not have left the committee in the hands of the man,” Beselia said.

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze told journalists that Beselia’s decision is “her own decision” and that the executive government refrains from interference into the issues of the legislative body.

On the question as to whether there is controversy in the ruling team regarding the judges, Bakhtadze said “complete unanimity is never healthy.”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze stated late yesterday that the parliament has postponed the process of appointment of judges until the spring session.

Eight judge members of the High Council of Justice (HCJ) presented the list of candidates for the Supreme Court on 24 December, without previous consultations or warning of non-judge members of the 15-member body, Georgian Public Defender, NGOs and the non-judge members of the council stated.

Both the process of selection of the judges and several judges in the list have become the subject of criticism by the civil sector, public defender and several leading figures of the Georgian Dream ruling party, Vice-Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili among them.