Ruling party secretary: bill on deoligarchisation to be forwarded to Venice Commission
In his remarks over the matter, Mdinaradze noted the bill would not be discussed in the third reading and would be submitted to the Venice Commission for legal assessment instead. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the ruling team had decided to forward the domestic bill on deoligarchisation for comments to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.
In his remarks over the matter, Mdinaradze noted the bill would not be discussed in the third reading and would be submitted to the Venice Commission for legal assessment instead.
We have said we do not see any problem with forwarding this bill to the Venice Commission, but we have also said that first we need to find out what we are dealing with, what is really going on", Mdinaradze said in reference to the Commission's expected comments on the Ukrainian version of the bill, which had been used as the basis for the Georgian draft.
"As a result of communication with the Venice Commission, it became clear that the information about recalling the conclusion on the Ukrainian analogue of this law, or returning it with an appropriate note is a lie. The Venice Commission will deliver its conclusion to the Ukrainian parliament next year”, he added.
Mdinaradze also noted the Ukrainian bill on deoligarchisation had earlier received approval and “highest assessment" from the president of the European Commission.
[I]n order not to leave room for speculation, we decided to forward the bill to the Venice Commission for a legal opinion. Accordingly, we will not discuss the bill in the third reading [in the parliament] and will wait for the conclusion of the Venice Commission. Our demand and appeal will be that the law be evaluated in time and the process be accelerated”, he concluded.
Controversy over the bill stems from a section of the domestic opposition saying it “must include” Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling party and former prime minister, as a “shadow ruler” of the country, while authors of the bill have pointed to criteria for defining oligarchs as outlined in the document and said mentioning specific names in the bill would be “very undemocratic”.
While in Georgia earlier this month, Oliver Varhelyi, the EU commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, said that legal amendments requested by the bloc “do not apply to specific individuals”.
Anri Okhanashvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's legal affairs committee, on Monday said the lawmaking body had not yet made a decision on whether the bill on deoligarchisation would be forwarded for comments to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.
Anri Okhanashvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's legal affairs committee, on Thursday said the ruling team was holding consultations with European bodies to make sure there were “no ambiguities” around the domestic deoligarchisation bill.
The European Union representation in Georgia on Monday called on the country’s parliament to request recommendations from the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and consider its feedback over the domestic deoligarchisation bill being considered for approval.
Anri Okhanashvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's legal affairs committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said the working group engaged in implementing European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status was preparing to present its bill on deoligarchisation.
The European Union representation in Georgia on Monday welcomed the decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to send the domestic deoligarchisation bill to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for recommendations before its final approval.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the ruling team had taken into account the recommendations of Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, and the EU ambassador to Georgia, on forwarding the domestic bill on deoligarchisation for comments to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.
Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and the secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the Georgian government would “do everything” to ensure implementation of European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
Anri Okhanashvili, the chair of the Georgian parliament's legal affairs committee, on Tuesday said the Georgian parliament expected an assessment from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission on the deoligarchisation bill that “is consistent with the principles of the rule of law and the European legal framework”.
Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the majority of the European Union conditions for granting Georgia the membership candidate status would be fulfilled by the end of December and noted that the implementation of the rest depended on the assessments of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission and the constructive cooperation of the opposition.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili had received the recommendations from the Council of Europe's Venice Commission on the deoligarchisation bill and judicial reform, which did not include any “substantial changes” to the draft law.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday said the opinion of the Council of Europe's Venice Commission on the deoligarchisation bill confirmed that Georgian law was identical to the Ukrainian one.
The Legal Affairs Committee in the Georgian Parliament will on Wednesday discuss the amended version of the deoligarchisation bill, proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party as part of the work to meet the conditions outlined by the European Union last year for granting its membership candidate status to the country.
The Legal Affairs Committee in the Georgian Parliament on Wednesday supported the amended version of the deoligarchisation bill - proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party as part of the work to meet the conditions outlined by the European Union last year for granting its membership candidate status to the country - with the majority of votes.