Georgian judiciary responds to Int’l criticism over new members in High Council of Justice

The Administrative Committee of the Conference of Judges, which is  a self-governing body to strengthen the independence of the judiciary in Georgia, has responded to the recent criticism of the EU and the US embassies over the appointment of two new judge members to the High Council of Justice, also in an independent body which selects and appoints judges across the country.

The Administrative Committee of the Conference of Judges says that the appointment, which coincided with Georgian municipal elections at the end of October, was ‘neither hasty, nor intransparent.’

“We remind all entities that Georgia is an independent state whose judiciary also operates independently, without external interference and obeys only the law,” said the statement.

The EU Embassy to Georgia said that the appointments on October 31 ‘were hasty, non-transparent and non-competitive.’“They were therefore at odds with Georgia’s commitments aimed at increasing the independence, accountability, quality and trust in the Judiciary, in line with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement,” said the EU.

The US embassy stated that On October 31, the Georgian judiciary selected two new members to the High Council while the country was focused on the municipal elections.

“The process was neither competitive nor transparent. A single candidate was offered for each vacancy.

There was little advance notice of the intent to fill the seats left open by the preterm resignations,” said the US embassy. 

It stated that there was ‘no opportunity’ for consultations or participation by a broad range of qualified candidates, nor for ‘meaningful engagement’ by relevant interlocutors and civil society.