Ruling party against opposition-proposed parliamentary investigative commission on court

The ruling Georgian Dream party says it will not support the creation of the parliamentary investigative commission on the domestic court, following the US decision earlier this month to impose visa restrictions on three acting and one former Georgian judges for alleged corruption. 

 

Making an abusive parallel with the United National Movement opposition party – in power between 2004-2012 – and reminding the public of “severe violations” under its rule, Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the GD, on Tuesday said the party would not “allow” to back the opposition’s proposal.

 

He also said the lack of quorum for the creation of the commission on Tuesday due to the absence of the GD MPs, had also demonstrated the ruling party’s “solidarity” to judges. 

 

The Georgian Dream authorities have several times slammed the US decision as “unfair” and “politically grounded” and claimed the move had come “unexpectedly” and “without evidence”. 

 

The judges sanctioned by the US have for many years been cited as the heads of a “clan” in the domestic judiciary by local organizations.

 

A domestic NGO, the Georgian Court Watch, on Wednesday said expressing “political solidarity” to certain judges by the parliamentary majority had been an “act directed against the court independence”.

 

A temporary investigative commission is created in the parliament to study a specific issue, to investigate the facts of violation of legislation by state bodies and officials.