High Council of Justice requests president dismiss council member Dolidze embroiled in controversy

Members of the High Council of Justice of Georgia (HCOJ), the independent body responsible for the selection and appointment of judges in the country, have requested President Salome Zurabishvili to withdraw non-judge member of the council Anna Dolidze “for making political statements and violating mandatory ethics.”

Dolidze has been critical of the judge members of the council since her appointment to the council in early 2018 by ex-President Giorgi Margvelashvili as every president has the right to appoint one member to the council.

Several judge members of the council stated in early January 2019 that they wanted to request Zurabishvili withdraw Dolidze. However, Zurabishvili, who was newly elected at that time, commented that she “could see no grounds to do so.”

Dolidze, who previously served as the head of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) and deputy defence minister of Georgia, says that the High Council of Justice makes biased decisions and is run by a ‘clan of the judges’ who used to deliver unfair verdicts under the United National Movement leadership.

The High Council of Justice is composed of 15 members. Photo: High Council of Justice press office. 

 The letter sent to the president against Dolidze reads that “she continually violates the ethics of the public servant and her activities harm the court and the state institutions,” adding that Dolidze “never refrains from making political statements.”

Dolidze says that the accusations are “groundless” and she intends to hold a briefing about the issue later today. 

Margvelashvili has commented that he is “very proud of Dolidze,” and is sure that he made the “absolutely right decision” in 2018 to appoint her to the council.

•  The High Council of Justice underwent major changes in 2013, under the Georgian Dream leadership.
• According to recent amendments the High Council of Justice is now composed of 15 members.
•  Eight members are elected by the self-governing body of judges, five members by the parliament of Georgia and one member is appointed by the president.
• The HCOJ was created to coordinate the judiciary system and to promote the effectiveness and independence of the judiciary.
• The main functions of the HCOJ include the organisation of qualification exams of judges, selection and appointment of judges  and others.