Ruling party says accelerated discussion of controversial list of judges not on the agenda
The ruling party group leader in parliament Mamuka Mdinaradze stated that an assembly of the ruling party will take place by the spring session of parliament, where ‘major issues’ will be discussed. Photo: reginfo.
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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.
The statement came after today’s meeting of ruling party members in the village of Kachreti, in eastern Georgia.
The ruling Georgian Dream group leader in parliament Mamuka Mdinaradze told the media that the parliament must discuss the case of each judge separately and cautiously, as the lifetime appointment of judges in the Supreme Court is a “very significant issue.”
Mdinaradze stated that those who supported the discussion of the list of judges in an accelerated manner provided thee argument that there are only ten judges instead of 28 in the Supreme Court, which is “currently in a state of collapse”, creating serious obstacles for the working process of the court.
Mdinaradze also dismissed speculations that the ruling team also discussed whether or not to dismiss the former head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Eka Beselia from the party, as the latter [Beselia] connected her resignation from the post at the end of December with the list of judges and accused Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze of lobbying certain judges with controversial pasts.
Both Mdinaradze and Kobakhidze stated that Beselia’s resignation “had nothing to do with the judges,” and that Beselia had stated that she might quit long before the nomination of the 10 judges by the High Council of Justice on 24 December, 2018.
The High Council of Justice, a body responsible for the appointment of judges in the country, nominated the 10 judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia without previous consultations.
The list was criticized by NGOs and several members of the ruling party, stating that the list included several judges who were related to politically motivated cases and a biased judiciary.
NGOs and many users on social media have asked parliament to withdraw the list and refine the procedures for the selection of judges.
Mdinaradze says that the refining of the procedure is likely to take place, while the withdrawal of the list is up to the High Council of Justice and not the parliament.
The appointment of Gedevan Pophkadze as the deputy head of parliament’s legal affairs committee has stirred controversy in the Georgian Dream ruling party.
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.
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.
The Georgian Dream ruling party faction has withdrawn Gedevan Popkhadze from the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee which makes it impossible for Popkhadze to take the post of deputy head of the committee, to which he was elected last week.
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.
The Georgian Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has elected former deputy head of the committee David Matikashvili as acting head until the spring session, before the committee launches discussions on the controversial list of judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze says that two formats will be created to provide criteria and procedures which will remove question marks regarding the lifetime appointment of judges in courts.
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.
Georgia Dream ruling party member Eka Beselia, who left the post of the head of the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee at the end of December, says that she is facing a moral terror as footage of her personal life has gone viral.
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.
The political council of the Georgian Dream ruling party has released a statement in which it says that the Georgian court system is “deliberately discredited” and that the United National Movement opposition party stands behind the “politically motivated” process.
Levan Gogichaishvili has quit the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party today after the party members refused or refrained from supporting the bill regarding the court proposed by him and eight other legislators of the ruling party.
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe says that it is ready to help Georgia make clear and transparent procedures for the selection and appointment of judges, which has become one of the top issues of discussion over the past two months.
Former member of the Georgian Dream ruling party Eka Beselia, who is now opposing her former colleagues regarding court-related issues, says that current member of the ruling party Mamuka Mdinaradze mistakenly sent her a message which included swearwords about her.