Parliament chair does not want ‘Superman’ as new head of Supreme Court
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, January 19
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili is holding consultations in the process of choosing the new Chair of the Supreme Court, as the term of current the chairperson, Kote Kublashvili, expires in February 2015.
The president has already met with more than 20 NGO representatives, who advised him to select an individual distanced from politics. They also asked to Margvelashvili to establish a special council focused on identifying the appropriate candidates for the post.
Unlike the NGOs, Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani believes that the post of Supreme Court chairperson is a political position and that the appointment is a political process.
She said that it was wrong to say that the Supreme Court chairperson must not have a political past.
According to her, all who had been nominated for the post have connections to the political process and were more or less involved in politics.
"If we want a person who has never been involved in the political process, the majority will not vote for him, since he will be a stranger to them,” the minister said.
She stressed that the Supreme Court head must not be a politically loyal person.
“He must be independent, resistant to any political official and a guarantee for justice,” she said.
Meanwhile, Parliament Chair Davit Usupashvili said that the Supreme Court does not need a director, who will give orders to more than 200 judges.
“If we try to support such an individual in the post, we will destroy the court system. No involvement in a judge’s activities and impartiality are crucial for the institute. We do not require ‘Superman’ or a ‘Superwoman’ for the position, we need a normal, honest and very professional individual who will have a positive influence on the system through his high qualification and authority,” Usupashvili said.
