Georgian Parliament Speaker urges US to lift sanctions on judges due to “no evidence” against them
The Parliament Speaker said the Georgian Government had been requesting the basis for the move over the past two months, noting “no evidence has been presented so far”. Photo: Shalva Papuashvili’s Facebook
Tweet 
Share
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian Parliament Speaker, on Monday urged the United States Department of State to lift the visa restrictions it imposed on three acting and one former Georgian judges for “significant corruption” in April “as soon as possible”, due to an “absence of evidence” against them.
In his press comments, the Parliamentary official said the Georgian Government had been requesting the basis for the move over the past two months, adding “no evidence has been presented so far”.
I call on [the US State Department] to lift the sanctions as soon as possible, as no one should be attacked without evidence, especially judges”, Papuashvili said, pointing to “high standards” in the domestic judiciary.
He also pointed to the 2019 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on the high-profile dispute over the ownership of the domestic Rustavi 2 TV channel, in which the Court upheld the verdict of Georgian courts, as well as the ECHR’s judgement in April, when it rejected the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s request to be transferred to Poland for treatment, in concurrence with verdicts of the national courts.
“In both cases [domestic forces] tried to discredit the Georgian judiciary. However, we saw how the disputes were solved [in the ECHR]. The Georgian justice [system] has passed all tests with dignity”, Papuashvili said.
The State Department on April 5 imposed visa restrictions on three senior acting judges - Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze and Irakli Shengelia - and former judge Valerian Tsertsvadze for their alleged “involvement in significant corruption”.
The release for the ruling said the judges had “abused their positions as court chairmen and members of Georgia’s High Council of Justice, undermining the rule of law and the public’s faith in Georgia’s judicial system”.
Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze on Friday said the European Court of Human Rights had rejected the imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s request to be transferred to Poland’s capital Warsaw for treatment.
Georgian judge Irakli Shengelia, one of four sanctioned by the United States Department of State last week, on Monday said he was going to appeal the decision in a US court.
Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker in the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday said the United States Department of State’s decision on Wednesday to impose sanctions on four Georgian judges was “unfair”, "absolutely unacceptable” and “incompatible” with the strategic cooperation between the states.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has released its verdict on the Rustavi 2 private broadcaster’s ownership dispute earlier today, upholding the verdicts of Georgian courts on the case.Rustavi 2 and its current owners earlier filed with the ECHR as plaintiffs, claiming that the Georgian Court of Appeals and Supreme Court had delivered unfair verdicts.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday slammed the country’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili and the “destructive part” of the domestic opposition for “dirty, anti-state campaign” over his conditions in custody, and also accused the former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili of “unprecedented robbery of European pensioners”, which he said had seen “one billion dollars” defrauded from its victims in a scheme allegedly involving the wanted former official.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Friday said the United States’ decision in April to impose visa restrictions on three acting and one former Georgian judges for “significant corruption” had come “without evidence” and was a “gross violation” of the country’s judicial independence and its constitution.
The National Bank of Georgia on Monday rejected as “absolutely groundless” claims by non-governmental organisations that alleged the Georgian Government and the Bank were “shielding” four Georgian judges and a former Prosecutor General who have been sanctioned by the United States Department of State.