Parliamentary committee supports PM-nominated candidates for heading Special Investigation Service
Both Emzar Gagnidze (L) and Karlo Katsitadze (R) were nominated by the country's prime minister for the chairmanship of the Special Investigation Service. Photo: Parliament of Georgia.
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The Committee on Legal Affairs of the Parliament of Georgia has expressed support for Emzar Gagnidze and Karlo Katsitadze, two candidates presented for the position of the Head of the Special Investigation Service by the prime minister, paving the way for the legislative body’s voting on their nomination.
The nominations, confirmed by the committee on Monday, are for the post of the head of the newly created agency, which, along with the Personal Data Protection Service, has been drawn up to replace the outgoing State Inspector Service.
Katsitadze has received the support of 10 deputies of the ruling Georgian Dream party, while Gagnidze has been supported by nine deputies of the majority and one vote of the European Socialists party.
Answering questions during the session of the committee, Katsitadze said questions regarding his impartiality were aimed to “discredit” him. His response was made to MP Khatia Dekanoidze, from the opposition United National Movement party, who questioned the candidate’s independence during today’s hearing session.
The nominee for the Special Investigation Service called the questions regarding his independence “unfounded,” noting the current State Inspector Londa Toloraia was also a former prosecutor.
As for Gagnidze, he said during his hearing session earlier today the decision to split the State Inspector Service - which caused criticism from several non-governmental organisations and diplomatic representatives - had been “fundamentally correct,” adding the procedure for electing the heads of the service was legal as it had been “passed through a public competition.”
Dekanoidze announced earlier today the UNM would not support any of the candidates for the post, claiming both nominees were biased in favour of the ruling party.
Of the two candidates, Gagnidze has been the Deputy District Prosecutor of Western Georgia since August 2021, while Katsitadze has headed the Procedural Management Department of the Investigation at the State Inspector of the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia since 2019.
The Parliament of Georgia will elect the head of the Special Investigation Service at an upcoming plenary session, by a majority of MP votes, for a six-year term.
The Georgian parliament approved the bill replacing the State Inspector Service, which investigated alleged offences committed by state officials and law enforcement agencies, with the two new bodies on December 30. The legislative changes are scheduled to come into effect in March.
The Georgian parliament’s Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration supported one of the candidates for the post of the Head of the Personal Data Protection Service, the other agency launched to replace the State Inspector Service, on Friday.