Georgian PM rules out vetting of domestic judges by diplomatic corps

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said the proposal of the opposition United National Movement party on introduction of vetting of Georgian judges by foreign embassies “contradicts the Georgian constitution”.

“The topic of vetting has been closed. This is incompatible with the constitution of Georgia and not only with the constitution of Georgia, but also with constitutional and legal principles in general”, Kobakhidze said.

The Government head said the vetting system could be implemented according to the approach of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe “in cases of extreme exceptions”, where “the state itself admits that it has failed institutions”.

After 2012, we have made fundamental progress in all directions, including in judiciary - especially in judiciary. You know what the situation was in the Georgian judiciary before 2012 [during the UNM Government]. The Georgian judiciary was used as one of the main tools of the repressive machine”, he claimed.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili late February denounced the demands by the domestic opposition and some non-governmental organisations of “transferring the decisive role in staffing” the country’s judiciary to foreign diplomatic representations.

Papuashvili claimed it was “clear to all Georgians” that the move would be “equivalent to the recognition of the country’s failure and the surrender of its sovereignty”.