Controversial judge offers discussions to end “negative campaign” against him
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Levan Murusidze, who has been appointed as a judge on the court of appeals, has called upon the civil sector to organise discussions which will help him end a “deliberate negative campaign” against him.
Murusidze, who is often criticised for his judgments in the high-profile murder case of Sandro Gvirgvliani in 2006, says there is “no evidence” proving he was biased.
I am ready to hold discussions with NGOs, lawmakers, experts, the media and others and answer all questions concerning me. It will not be hard for the civil sector to organise such meetings, Murusidze said.
Murusidze’s appointment elicited negative reactions from NGOs and several members of the ruling party.
The High Council of Justice (HCJ), an independent body responsible for the selection and appointment of judges, has appointed Levan Murusidze, a judge disliked by the civil sector and many in the Georgian Dream ruling party, as a lifetime judge to the Court of Appeals.
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.
Ten judges who have been nominated by the High Council of Justice for the Supreme Court of Georgia have triggered controversies and criticism in the public and civil sector, as several of the judges “are affiliated with the United National Movement government and biased judiciary”, several members of the HCJ and NGOs say.
Georgian Vice Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili has stated that the High Council of Justice (HCJ), an independent body which is responsible for the selection and appointment of judges, should start considering of the public view.
The non-judge members of the High Council of Justice Nazi Janezashvili and Anna Dolidze, as well as the members of the United National Movement left the court reform working group meeting headed by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze.