Head of the Georgian Constitutional Court Zaza Tavadze, who is on the 20-person list presented to parliament for a lifetime appointment as a judge on the Georgian Supreme Court, has withdrawn his candidacy, citing controversies related to his higher education.
Tavadze appealed to Parliament Speaker of Georgia Archil Talakvadze on Movement 22 to postpone the presentation of his candidacy before the parliament’s plenary meeting [for a hearing] as questions arose regarding his Master’s degree in law, which is mandatory for a Supreme Court judge.
In the letter Tavadze said that that he has an education degree equal to a Master’s degree, which was also acknowledged by the High Council of Justice, the independent body which selected candidates for the Supreme Court judge.
However, Tavadze said that he needed time to prove this “as the existence of any questions around my qualification is unacceptable for me.”
In the letter released today Tavadze said that his November 22 letter triggered additional controversies.
Turmoil around the candidates for the Georgian Supreme Court began at the end of 2018. Photo: Georgian Supreme Court press office.
The reputation of the court is of top importance for me. The existence of any question, even an unfounded question [around the qualification of a judge] must be removed, that is why I decided to remove my candidacy,” Tavadze said.
Public turmoil around the candidates for the Georgian Supreme Court began towards the end of 2018, even though a new law was adopted, with the cooperation of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, regarding the selection and appointment procedures of the judges for the court.
Many local NGOs, the opposition and two members of the High Council of Justice, say that both lists [one at the end of 2018 and another earlier this year] of judges presented by the High Council of Justice include judges who handed down unfair verdicts under the United National Movement government.
They say that there is a “clan of biased judges” in the Georgian court which influenced the list in both cases.
Non-judge member of the High Council of Justice Anna Dolidze says that the “controversial list” is likely to be passed by parliament in the coming days “which is absolutely unacceptable.”
The opposition has announced a large rally on the day when parliament will schedule the voting on the judges.