Georgian PM: objective criteria and procedures must exist for judge selection
Georgian PM Mamuka Bakhtadze says that unlike the previous state leadership, the current government does not interfere in the court’s issues. Photo: Prime Minister’s press office.
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Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze says that the time ended long ago when the government interfered in the court issues.
However, he says that public should have the feeling that objective criteria and procedures exist for the selection of judges.
Bakhtadze made the statement late yesterday in Lithuania when he responded to the request of ten judges to parliament not to discuss their candidacies for the Supreme Court of Georgia, as several of the judges have been strongly criticised for their “controversial past and biased judiciary.”
Bakhtadze says that the Georgian Dream ruling party has a “clear position” that the procedures for the selection of judges should be defined with the engagement of all interested sides.
When it comes to the government’s interference in the court’s issues, I have stated multiple times that the time has gone when government members, prime ministers or any other top officials selected and appointed judges [who were desirable to them],” Bakhtadze said.
Currently there are 10 judges instead of 28 in the Supreme Court. Photo: Supreme Court FB page.
The High Council of Justice, an independent body which is responsible for the appointment of judges in Georgia, provided a list of 10 judges for lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court on 24 December.
The list should have been discussed and then approved by parliament.
However, non-judge members of the High Council of Justice and the Georgian civil sector strongly criticized the list, which included “several judges who were connected with politically motivated cases under the United National Movement leadership.”
The parliament made a decision on 26 December 2018 to postpone discussions regarding the judges until the spring session and come up with new procedures for the selection of judges.
The Georgian civil sector and the opposition have welcomed the recent statement of the judges. However, they said that the “fight must be brought to an end” and clear procedures must be drafted for the selection of “fair judges.”
Head of the ruling Georgian Dream party political council and the founder of the party Bidzina Ivanishvili has revealed his view regarding the controversial issue of the nomination of ten judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia at the end of December.
Georgian Dream ruling party leaders say that the controversial list of ten judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia will not be discussed in an accelerated manner and discussions around the issue will take place in the spring.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has denied any connection between the fact that the Legal Affairs Committee head Eka Beselia and its member Gedevan Popkhadze left the ruling party majority and the controversial process of appointing judges in the country.
Ten judges, who were nominated for the Supreme Court of Georgia at the end of December 2018, have released a joint statement today in which they call upon the parliament to suspend discussions around their candidacies.
This is the first time when High Council of Justice nominates candidates for the Supreme Court and sends the candidates to the Parliament of Georgia for voting but the ten judges nominated by the HCJ have triggered controversies and criticism in the public and civil sector. So the government considers new regulations regarding the judges selection.