Tamar Alania faces tough questions from the Legal Issues Committee
By Inga Kakulia
Tuesday, September 24
The process of interviewing candidates for the Supreme Court in the Legal Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia has started. On September 23, lawmakers listened to the first candidate, Tamar Alania. Prior to the hearing, the committee approved the format and procedure of the interview.
As the Chairman of the Legal Issues Committee, Anri Okhanashvili noted, first the candidate and his/her biography will be presented, after which the candidate will have a five-minute report, and then the interview will begin. Parliamentary factions are first interviewed by each candidate, then by independent MPs, and finally, by the Public Defender, two representatives of the scientific community, and non-governmental sector representatives will be able to ask the candidate questions.
The candidate in questioning answered questions regarding some of the controversial decisions she has made as a judge.
The Member of the Parliament, Sopo Kiladze brought up the case of Gvantsa Kuparidze.
In 2006, a court of first instance sentenced a 14-year-old girl to five years in prison and five years of probation. Therefore, when the Court of Appeal received an appealed, Alania was one of the judges who upheld the first-instance judgment. The case then went to Strasbourg. Sopo Kiladze was interested in what evidence Tamar Alania based her decision on.
Kiladze also asked the candidate if she thought she had enough evidence for such a harsh sentence against a 14-year-old girl, given that Alania was well aware of the situation in the penitentiary system at that time.
Alania responded with the following: “I reiterate that in this case, with the available evidence, with the testimony of the victim, which was true, consistent at all stages, according to the witness base presented in the case, as well as the expert opinion, The guiltiness of this person would have been undoubtedly confirmed by not only Tamar Alania, but by any judge before whom the case would be presented," she said.
According to her, the case went to the Strasbourg court and the European Court did not find a violation of the right to a fair trial.
Davit Matikashvili, The Member of Parliament asked about the case of Mukhrovani Revolt, and whether or not the Candidate would make the same decision today if presented with the opportunity.
Tamar Alania stated that this case was related to the issue of territorial integrity of Georgia and that any judge presented with the evidence would have made the same decision.
“On the one hand, they were convicts, some of whom were heroes, they are truly heroes in my eyes, but on the other hand, there were acts based on the presented evidence. The decision was made solely on the basis of the evidence in front of me. The punishment for this action today is the same as it was then. Even today, and in any country, any judge who can bring such a case can say with certainty that the same judgment will be rendered. Some people were justified, some were sentenced."
Alania added: "Any decision I make today or tomorrow is purely based on the laws that you make as a voice of the people and I carry out the voice of the people expressed in the law,” said Alania.
