Georgian FM sends letter to US State Secretary to “either provide evidence or reconsider decision” on sanctioning judges

Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Thursday sent a letter to the US State Secretary Antony Blinken to “either provide relevant evidence or reconsider the decision” on sanctioning four Georgian judges on Wednesday for alleged corruption. 

 

“The decision of the US State Department on sanctioning the judges, that was made public without presenting any evidence, is completely incomprehensible and unacceptable”, Darchiashvili said. 

 

He claimed the country’s population and international rankings had given high assessments to the domestic judiciary. 

 

“The Ipsos France said 55% of Georgians think the court is fair, 52% think it is reliable and 51% think the court is independent. As a result of the government’s ten-year work and reforms, Georgia ranks high in international indexes. In the 2022 index of the rule of law of the World Justice Project, Georgia ranked first in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In the Corruption Perceptions Index of 2022, Georgia is the leader in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. For the first time in the history of the index, the country is in the top 20 in Europe and ahead of 11 EU member states”, Darchiashvili said. 

 

The visa restrictions have been imposed on Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Irakli Shengelia and Valerian Tsertsvadze for their alleged “involvement in significant corruption”, and “abusing their positions as court chairmen and members of Georgia’s High Council of Justice, undermining the rule of law and the public’s faith in Georgia’s judicial system”.