Three Withdraw Their Candidacies for Chief Prosecutor of Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, July 6
Three individuals have withdrawn their candidacies for the new Chief Prosecutor of Georgia and 18 are nominated for the post now.
Mariam Tsatsanashvili, Giorgi Shashiashvili and Lena Kapanadze withdrew their candidates.
Shalva Tadumadze, the head of the Administration of Government, Irakli Nadareishvili, the head of the Prosecutor’s Office Department for Investigating the Offences Committed in Course of Legal Proceedings, and former lawmaker Shalva Shavgulidze are among the candidates, registered for the post.
The other candidates are Paata Shavadze, Zurab Jorbenadze, Gia Berdzenidze, Nana Revazishvili, Tamar Kereselidze, Grigol Gagnidze, Ioseb Bachiashvili, Jemal Gakhokidze, Edisher Putkaradze, Nino Gogniashvili, Nona Pilauri, Alexandre Kobaidze, Kote Chilaia, Levan Dzneladze, Teimuraz Oniani.
Shalva Shavgulidze, Nino Gogniashvili and Edisher Putkaradze were nominated by the Tbilisi State University.
Tbilisi Open University, Caucasus International University and Education Academy nominated the candidature of Irakli Nadareishvili, while Shalva Shavgulidze’s candidacy was presented by the European Georgia opposition party. The deadline for nomination of candidatures expires on July 4.
Chief prosecutor’s post became vacant after Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze stepped down on May 31, after a mass demonstration by his office over the teenagers’ murder case.
The parliamentary opposition parties say that it is very likely Shalva Tadumadze becomes a new chief prosecutor as he is government-affiliated.
They say that the Georgian Dream leadership is looking for someone who will obey the government.
On September 18, 2015 Georgian Parliament passed the bill at its final reading that introduced a new and more complex set of rules on selecting and electing a chief prosecutor for a non-renewable six-year term.
The bill outlined creating a 15-member Prosecutorial Council, chaired by the minister of justice.
Eight members of the Council are prosecutors elected by the Conference of Prosecutors, which was also a new structure suggested in the bill.
Members of the Parliament (MPs) took two seats; one from the majority and one from the opposition, while one seat was held by a civil society representative and another from an academic.
Two seats were held by judges of the High Council of Justice.
For the final position, the new procedures stated the Justice Minister would select three candidates and then present them to the Prosecutorial Council for approval. The Council must vote for one candidate; the successful nominee must gain two thirds of support.
If failed, the Justice Minister will be required to name three other candidates. However, if selected, the chosen candidate will go before the government for approval.
If the candidate is disliked, the process of selecting nominees will begin again. If endorsed, the candidate must be approved by the parliament.
The Georgian civil sector is demanding the Justice Minister Thea Tsulukaini is not involved in the selection process of a new chief prosecutor.
