MP leaves ruling party after parliament approves bill on judges
Parliament approved the bill on the selection and appointment of judges with its third and final reading earlier on May 1. Photo: Parliament’s press office.
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MP Levan Koberidze left the Georgian Dream ruling party after the parliament approved the bill on the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges with its third and final reading earlier today.
Koberidze said that the bill drafted by the ruling party MPs fails to ensure transparency in the selection and appointment procedures of judges.
He said that he is now an independent MP.
Several of the ruling party MPs also left the Georgian Dream due to the bill in previous months.
The Georgian Dream majority says that the bill reflects key recommendations of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and it will play its important role in the fair and transparent selection and appointment of judges in the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Koberidze says that the founder of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, had information about his decision to leave the party. Photo: Parliament's press office.
The parliamentary opposition was demanding the bill to be returned to the second reading, which was rejected by the majority.
The opposition believes that the bill will not provide improvements in the court system as it leaves opportunities for biased judges stay in the system.
The Georgian Dream MPs offered the bill after the presentation of the list of 10 judges for the Supreme Court by the High Council of Justice [an independent body which is responsible for the selection and appointment of judges in Georgia] back in December 2018.
The list was criticized by many as it included several judges “connected with biased judiciary under the former, United National Movement state leadership.”
The Georgian Dream appealed to the Venice Commission to write its recommendations regarding its bill so that the bill to include the interests of all the parties involved.
Judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia must be selected by the High Council of Justice and then approved by parliament.
Currently there are 11 judges in the Supreme Court, while there number should be 28.
Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani says that a bill drafted by Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze and six other ruling party MPs fully meets the recommendations of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
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.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has stated that she has held consultations with Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, since when three of five recommendations of the CoE Venice Commission on the selection and appointment of Georgian Supreme Court judges have been implemented.
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has released an evaluation of a bill put forward by ruling Georgian Dream party MPs concerning the long-disputed issue of the lifetime appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Georgian Chief Prosecutor Shalva Tadumadze, who was appointed to the post in July 2018, has explained his reasons for running for the Supreme Court judge when only a year has passed since his election to the position he currently occupies.
The High Council of Justice of Georgia, a body which is responsible for the selection and appointment of judges in the country, has presented a final, 20 person list, for judges to the Supreme Court, including Chief Prosecutor Shalva Tadumadze and his deputy Mamuka Vasadze.
Political party Lelo has nominated former MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party Levan Koberidze in Vake constituency of Tbilisi which was a surprise for Elene Khoshtaria – the joint opposition candidate in the constituency in the October parliamentary elections.