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“Fifth Colony” In Bar Association

October 11, 2007

“We call upon our colleagues to respect their professional ethics, professional responsibilities and dignity above all other interests. An attorney should not act in the favor of the Prosecutor General’s Office or Internal Ministry; they should not focus their attention on one particular establishment,” stated Eka Beselia, attorney and chairwoman of the Ethic Commission for Attorneys at the press-conference that was dedicated to the recent facts of unethical activities of the lawyers; Prosecutor’s Office and Government’s illegal interference in lawyers’ activities. 

Eka Beselia: “I want to apply to the government and Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as to all officials who are eager to turn the Bar Association into an establishment that will do its best to satisfy their malicious intentions. Stop interfering in lawyers’ activities. Nowadays, the Bar Association has enough intellectual resources to protect not only others’ interests but their professional dignity as well. We will not let anybody to use our profession to fulfill their illicit aims. I want to urge my colleagues to be ready to protect their rights and not to allow the government to manage them as marionettes. Almost all international organizations are anxious about the current event in Georgia, all international agencies and media sources are curious how Georgian government manages to get rid of lawyers who oppose them.”

Attorney Shalva Shavgulidze stated that they’d’ rather tell the truth now, because if they are late it would lead the society to unpleasant results. “The truth is that there is a gap between the lawyers of the Bar Association. Moreover, so-called Fifth Colony appeared in the association and it betrays professional dignity, interests of the client and obeys the order of the government.”

The attorney stated that unfortunately, there are lawyers in Georgia who defend the interests of only government. “Similar occasions happened in the past too but now their number has seriously increased. We have already reached our limit of patience. If we give in we will betray our society. Of course, I am not going to threaten anybody, but I call upon my colleagues against becoming the weapon of the people who do not want to establish democratic and legal state. It is our appeal and demand. Otherwise, we will have to introduce the society with the concrete names of those lawyers who are involved in similar illegal activities.”

Attorney Soso Baratashvili stated that courts started to pass verdict without taken the lawyers’ solicitations into consideration. “Our rights are violated and the state does not need justice now,” said Baratashvili. He could not help his excitement about the fact that plea-bargain was signed with his client Guram Gagua, founder of the “Art Group” without his presence. “The same was situation about Irakli Okruashvili,” added Baratashvili.

Attorney Lili Gealshvili applied to the Georgian President at the press-conference. “Some time ago the president made a statement that “Rule of Law is respected in Georgia.” I want to reply to his statement; Mr. President, today Rule of Illegal Law is respected in our country. There is no justice and no legal institute in Georgia. Thus the Prosecutor’s Office does not want to have bar institute because of the government. The authority and the Prosecutor’s Office have elected lawyers who are like marionettes for officials.”

Davit Modebadze, (member of Ethic Commission): “I want to call upon all my colleagues to respect the clients’ interests above all. Otherwise, if Ethic Commission receives an appeal against them we will be obliged to start sanctions against them; such as to revoke them from their professional mandate. We made similar decision about one of the lawyers; we stopped his mandate for six months.”

Nino Tarkhnishvili, Tbilisi 

 

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