Justice Minister: “Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor should be elected not appointed”
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Georgia’s judicial system is about to undergo a significant change – soon the country’s Chief Prosecutor will not be appointed but elected.
Georgia’s Minister of Justice announced the institutional reform within the Chief Prosecutor Office at today’s united sitting of Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Defence and Procedural Committees. She said for the first time in the "very near future” Georgia’s Parliament will have the possibility to elect the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia.
"We have launched a new institutional reform of the Prosecutor's Office and very soon we will offer a government-approved model, which includes establishment of a Prosecutorial Council.
"The Council will be attended by the Prosecutor's Office itself. But main important changes will be a new model of appointment of Chief Prosecutor, who will be elected by Parliament,” Tsulukiani said.
Under the current rules, the Chief Prosecutor is appointed or dismissed by the Prime Minister with a recommendation of the Justice Minister.
The new model will see the Prosecutorial Council arrange the appointment process of the Chief Prosecutor. The Council will consider the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice for the role of Chief Prosecutor.
Tsulukiani highlighted that any nominee who gained the support of the Council would be presented to the Government for approval. After the Government approved the candidacy of nominees, Parliament of Georgia will hold a hearing regarding the presented candidates and a final decision will be made by a majority vote.
The Justice Minister hoped this change would be implemented this year however noted no official date had been provided at this stage.
Georgia’s judicial system is undergoing reform. Lawmakers are currently debating several changes; one of which is the election, term and dismissal of Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor.
The President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has signed a bill sent by Parliament that outlined the reform of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia.
Today Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili announced a competition to find two new Council members; the candidates should be selected from civil and academic fields.
Conference of Prosecutors launched today in Tbilisi and was being attended by 438 prosecutors from all parts of the country as well as EU officials.
The first Conference of Prosecutors in Georgia has elected eight members of the new 15-member Prosecutorial Council, tasked with selecting the country’s future Chief Prosecutors.
The Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Georgia, Irakli Shotadze, is likely to become the country’s new Chief Prosecutor after being selected for the post under the newly adopted hiring method.
Georgia has elected its first Chief Prosecutor. Today Parliament of Georgia approved a current high official employed in the Chief Prosecutor’s Office as the new Chief Prosecutor of Georgia.
Acting Justice Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze has nominated three candidates for the position of chief prosecutor, after the former Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze resigned on May 31.