Giorgi Mskhiladze: Suspension of Judicial Appointment is Unprecedented Interference in Presidential Powers
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Giorgi Mskhiladze, Parliamentary Secretary to President Salome Zourabichvili, condemned the suspension of the constitutional act appointing a member of the High Council of Justice as an unprecedented interference in presidential powers. He called on the diplomatic corps, international community, and international organizations to respond.
"An unprecedented event has occurred in Georgia's history. The judiciary has illegally interfered with the President's constitutional powers by suspending the appointment of a High Council of Justice member. The President has full authority under the Constitution to independently decide and appoint a member," Mskhiladze stated during a briefing.
He emphasized the violation of the separation of powers and highlighted the judiciary's refusal to accept dissent within the High Council of Justice. "This is an unprecedented interference in the constitutional powers of the President, unacceptable for Georgia's constitutional order. It is a tragedy for the entire country. No one has the right to deprive the democratically elected head of state of constitutionally granted powers," he said.
Mskhiladze appealed to the diplomatic corps, international community, and organizations like OSCE/ODIHR, which observed the candidate selection process, to respond appropriately to the issue.
He also reminded the public that the court case was filed on July 22, and the court accepted the claim the same day. The newly appointed member of the High Council of Justice was set to take office on July 23.
The Tbilisi City Court decided to suspend President Zourabichvili's decree of July 15, 2024, which appointed Kakha Tsikarishvili as a member of the High Council of Justice. Additionally, the court prohibited the President from holding a new competition and appointing another member until the case is resolved. The court's decision was prompted by a lawsuit filed by M.K.
Kakha Tsikarishvili responded to the City Court's decision, stating, "The system chose this way to protect itself - it was clear to me that they would not welcome me there." He accused the judge of acting on behalf of a clan within the judicial system. "The judge did not act on his individual decision but on behalf of the system. This form was chosen by the clan controlling justice. Some judges obey clans directly, while others simply obey circumstances," Tsikarishvili said.
Tsikarishvili, who planned to introduce a dissenting vote in the High Council of Justice and conduct an in-depth study of the judicial system's problems, expressed disappointment at the swift action taken against him. "I was going to start working at the Council of Justice from tomorrow, make announcements, and introduce my plan to the public. My main plan was to introduce a dissenting vote in the High Council of Justice. Today, there are no dissenting voices, no arguments, no discussions in the Council; everyone is of the same opinion and votes for the same decision. It was clear that they would take measures against me, but I did not expect the clan to block this issue so quickly and promptly," he added.
