Parliament official highlights ruling party “solidarity” with judiciary in response to US Ambassador
Sarjveladze’s comments followed Degnan’s remarks on Wednesday on the ruling party’s defence of the domestic courts system after the US Department of State sanctioned three current and one former Georgian judges for “significant corruption” earlier this month. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Human Rights Committee from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said members of the party were standing in solidarity with the domestic judiciary system and not individual judges, in a response to comments by the United States Ambassador Kelly Degnan.
Sarjveladze’s comments followed Degnan’s remarks on Wednesday on the ruling party’s defence of the domestic courts system after the US Department of State sanctioned three current and one former Georgian judges for “significant corruption” earlier this month.
Degnan said the comments in support of the judiciary meant “protect[ing] those who’ve been involved with corruption” and “not standing in solidarity with professional judges” in the country.
In his response, Sarjveladze said it was “regrettable if our stance was misunderstood by the Ambassador”, before saying “[w]e support and express solidarity not with any individual judge, but with the judiciary in general”.
Respect for the independence of the judiciary means nothing if not the restraint of politicians so that they do not take upon themselves more rights in relation to the courts than the constitution of our country allows”, the Committee Chair added.
“I personally believe that legal assessment of the role of specific individuals in the judiciary and the response to it - which would be the function of an investigative commission [proposed for the purpose] - would undermine the independence of the judiciary”, he added.
A very vicious precedent will be set in the future, [when] the Sword of Damocles will hang over the head of the judiciary and every judge. This will not bode well for the judiciary”, the Parliament official concluded.
Earlier this month, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili vowed his support to Georgian judges following the State Department sanctioning, saying “any interference” or “any influence” on judges was “unacceptable” and stressing the country’s judiciary had become “independent and free” under the Government of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Tuesday said the “radical” part of the domestic opposition would “not be allowed” to “undermine” the country’s judiciary and European prospects, in comments after the ruling Georgian Dream party refused to register for the opposition-initiated vote on forming a Parliamentary inquiry on the domestic judiciary.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday said the question of the opposition United National Movement party forming a Parliamentary investigative commission into the domestic judiciary following the United States Government’s sanctioning of Georgian judges could not be discussed “in any case”.
Thea Tsulukiani, the Georgian Vice Prime Minister, on Tuesday said the United States Department of State’s sanctions on Georgian judges were “incomprehensible” in light of the West’s “backing” of their lifetime appointment to ensure further independence of the domestic judiciary.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday vowed his support to Georgian judges following the sanctioning of four current and former professionals by the United States Department of State for alleged corruption.