EU issues statement on appointment of Supreme Court judges
Acting Prosecutor General Shalva Tadumadze, his deputy Mamuka Vasadze and Secretary of Georgia’s High Council of Justice Giorgi Mikautadze are among the 14 new judges approved by parliament on December 12. Photo: Parliament of Georgia/Facebook
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The European Union has issued a statement on the recent lifetime appointment of 14 Supreme Court judges in Georgia.
In a statement released yesterday, the new EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano said the selection procedure to appoint judges was "not transparent" and "risk for credibility" of judiciary.
The selection procedure did not adhere to all recommendations made by the Venice Commission and was characterised by key shortcomings, including a lack of transparency that undermines a genuinely merit-based nomination process”, Stano stated.
He further noted that a number of the appointed candidates “do not enjoy broad public trust, as was obvious in the course of the selection process”.
While the hearings carried out in the Parliament were transparent, more efforts should have been devoted to justify the choice of candidates ahead of the final vote”, he added.
Selection procedure to appoint judges to the Supreme Court of #Georgia not transparent,risk for credibility of #judiciary. Important also for relations with the EU. Our statement here: https://t.co/y8hPgaQEjD
— Peter Stano (@ExtSpoxEU) December 13, 2019
The EU therefore calls on Georgia to consider the recommendations of the Venice Commission, as well the shortcomings registered by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and other key observers, ahead of any additional appointments.
Georgia's commitment to uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity in its judiciary remains key for the credibility of the judiciary in the eyes of the Georgian citizens and for the advancement of the EU-Georgia agenda”, Stano concluded.
The Georgian parliament approved 14 lifelong judges of the Supreme Court amid protests of the opposition and civic groups on December 12.
The US Embassy to Georgia also stated after the voting that the list of candidates approved in Parliament includes those nominees, who were "unable to demonstrate sufficiently their legal expertise or a commitment to impartiality”.