Chief Prosecutor, deputy on final list of judges for Georgian Supreme Court
In his previous statement Chief Prosecutor Shalva Tadumadze (L) said that he has the ambition to become the head of the Supreme Court. The second photo features Deputy Chief Prosecutor Mamuka Vasadze.
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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.
The list, which will be voted on in parliament, also includes current head of the Constitutional Court Zaza Tavadze and Secretary of the High Council of Justice Giorgi Mikautadze.
Several MPs, two non-judge members of the High Council of Justice (Anna Dolidze and Nazi Janezashvili) and NGOs have strongly disliked the list, saying that many of the judges on the list are connected with the previous, United National Movement leadership and delivering of ‘unfair verdicts.’
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party say that the candidates have been selected in line with the new law, drafted based on the recommendations of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
The Georgian Supreme Court should be composed of 28 judges. As of now it lacks judges. If approved the judges will serve until retirement. Photo: Supreme Court.
The full list is as follows:
- Tamar Alania – a judge.
- Merab Gabinashvili –a judge.
- Shota Getsadze – a judge.
- Miranda Eremadze – a judge.
- Mamuka Vasadze - a deputy chief prosecutor.
- Maia Vachadze – a judge.
- Tamar Zambakhidze – a judge.
- Shalva Tadumadze – a chief prosecutor.
- Zaza Tavadze – head of the constructional court.
- Vladimer Kakabadze – a judge.
- Levan Mikaberidze – a judge.
- Giorgi Mikautadze – a judge, a secretary of the High Council of Justice.
- Paata Silagadze – a judge.
- Nugzar Skhirtladze – a judge.
- Lali Papiashvili – a former judge of the Constitutional Court.
- Nino Kadagidze – a judge.
- Lasha Kochiashvili – a judge.
- Ketevan Tsintsadze – an employee of the High Council of Justice, an independent inspector.
- Aleksandre Tsuladze – a mediator of Tbilisi City Court.
- Gocha Jeiranashvili – a judge.
Five of the 20 judges (Mikautadze, Kadagidze, Silagadze, Gabinashvili and Alania) were on the 10-person list presented by the High Council of Justice for the Supreme Court at the end of 2018 which caused controversies and led to the drafting of a new bill regarding the refreshed criteria of selection of Judges.
Now it is up to MPs whether or not to approve the list. The list needs the support of 76 MPs at least in the 150-member parliament.
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.
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.
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.
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 Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze said legislators will vote on the candidacy of the Supreme Court judges in a transparent manner in line with democratic standards. He said the candidates will be asked “all the important questions” and only afterwards will MPs make a decision whether or not to approve the list.
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.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party says it will not vote for several of 20 candidates running for a seat as a Georgian Supreme Court judge, during the voting scheduled on December 12.
Twelve individuals including opposition leaders and members have been detained at parliament earlier today for ‘hooliganism and disobedience to the police’, during a rally opposing a 20-person list of judges nominated for seats on the Georgian Supreme Court. Opposition leaders and members Giorgi Vashadze, Giorgi Tevdoradze, Beso Gazdelian, Guram Chalagashvili, Zurab Kostava, David Kakauridze and Kakhaber Machitidze are among the detainees.
Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani said the parliament of Georgia has approved of the new Supreme Court judges and every European should respect the decision of the independent country’s legislators.
The Constitutional Court of Georgia has a new chair, with Merab Turava replacing Zaza Tavadze whose term expired in June. Turava, 56, was the deputy chair of the Constitutional Court from January 2018.
The European Union says that revising the selection process of Georgian Supreme Court judges in line with CoE’s Venice Commission recommendations will be a condition for the disbursement of the second tranche of macro-financial assistance to Georgia under its current programme.On 1 April, the Georgian parliament adopted legislative amendments reviewing the selection process of Supreme Court judges.