Ex-head of Parliament’s Committee Accuses Speaker of ‘Lobbying list of Biased Judges’
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, January 9
Former Head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Eka Beselia, who quit the post at the end of December, says that Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze was eager the legislative body to confirm the list of 11 judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia for lifetime, while several judges on the list “are related with politically motivated cases and biased judiciary.”
“Kobakhidze gave me the idea to appoint the legal Committee sitting on Friday. Unfortunately, he considered it possible to appoint this sitting on Friday, to endorse the list on the same day and to submit the list to the parliament’s session on the same day. It was unimaginable for me, ”Beselia told the TV Pirveli.
She stated that the people included on the list “are directly connected with the court of a violent system of the previous state leadership.”
Beselia claimed that she could not accept what Kobakhidze wished, as “she had fought for the fair court” for years, while Kobakhidze “joined the winning team in 2016,” when the team had overcome its most difficult times.
Kobakhidze says that Beselia’s resignation “had no connection with judges,” and the recent “speculations” about the connection are “either less awareness regarding the issue or a deliberate misleading of public.”
“Difficulties need dialogue in order to solve them and we can do it. We will discuss it [the list of judges] within all formats, including within the format of the majority,” Kobakhidze said.
Beselia quit post on 27 December and claimed that the decision was related to “hasty and unacceptable” process of lifetime appointment of judges with “controversial past” to the Supreme Court of Georgia.
“With my decision, the process, which I believe is very harmful, is temporarily suspended” Beselia stated regarding the nomination of 11 judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia who should be confirmed by parliament.
Beselia says that the High Council of Justice (HCJ), an independent body which is responsible for selection and appointment of judges, must withdraw the list of judges it offered the parliament on 24 December 2018 and the selection process of judges for the Supreme Court should be newly regulated.
After resignation Beselia nominated Gedevan Popkhadze and two others for the position of the deputy head of the Legal Affairs Committee.
Popkhadze was elected to the role. However, the ruling team withdrew Popkhadze from the committee as “there was no agreement within the team about Popkhadze’s new position and that the letter was elected through violation of procedures.”
Kobakhidze said that Beselia did not have a right to name three candidates, which Beselia and Popkhadze disagree with.
