In June 2019, a group of independent lawyers submitted a
draft resolution in the parliament of Georgia in which they asked for evaluation of “clan-based” management of the country’s judiciary and urgent measures to avoid negative outcome of it. The draft resolution was shaped into a resolution and was initiated by the group of independent MPs in
September, 2019.
On December 5, 2019 the Legal Issues Committee of the Parliament of Georgia voted over the resolution but only one member of the committee Eka Beselia supported it.
The group of independent lawyers regrets that while the members of the Legal Issues Committee were interested in the past and current problems in the judiciary system during the interviews with the candidates for the justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia, on December 5, the committee did not consider the document, did not express any positions about it and did not ask questions to the initiator. Only the chairperson of the committee Anri Okhanashvili made a clarification and said that the resolution contradicted the principle of the government division, the authors did not have legal arguments and wider spectrum of the nongovernmental organizations did not support it, for what the resolution was not adopted.
The group of independent lawyers believes that the judiciary system is developing in the wrong direction and observes management, moral and personnel crisis in it that is impossible to overcome without proper consideration and evaluation. We hope the draft resolution will be substantially discussed during the plenary session of the parliament, and it will receive support of the MPs. The group of independent lawyers is ready to continue discussion over the topic with the participation of interested parties.
The authors of the draft resolution are: Kakha Tsiskarishvili, Kakha Kozhoridze, Ana Natsvlishvili, Maia Bakradze, Besik Sisvadze, Ucha Nanuashvili, Tamar Laliashvili, Zaza Khatiashvili, Soso Baratashvili, Lia Mukhashavria, Irakli Kordzakhia, Besik Loladze, Irakli Kupradze, Levan Totladze, Lasha Arveladze, Khatuna Grigalashvili, Irakli Gabrichidze and Tamar Gegelia.