Supreme Court chair defends domestic judiciary, claims “politics won’t enter court”

Nino Kadagidze, Chair of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the High Council of Justice, on Friday defended the domestic judiciary, pointing to its advancement, and claimed “politics will not enter the court” under her leadership, amid allegations by domestic civil groups and the opposition about the presence of “clan” in the court affiliated with the Government. 

 

“Politics cannot enter the court, at least while I am the chairperson. I promise you that at no stage, politics will not enter the court,” Kadagidze asserted.

 

Highlighting the standards upheld by the Georgian justice system, Kadagidze emphasized that it stands ahead of any friendly country. “I express my solidarity with each of them, but I assure you, Georgian justice, with its development and compliance standards, is much higher than the justice of any of our neighboring countries.”

 

While acknowledging the continuous need for improvement, Kadagidze asserted that Georgian justice consistently outperforms many institutions, including civil society, according to various data and independent studies. She pointed to internal research conducted since 2018, indicating a high level of confidence in the court.

 

“The court has confidence, which is evidenced by the flow of cases that enter the court, as well as the mood of the people and parties that enter the court,” Kadagidze stated. She mentioned ongoing internal studies aimed at identifying areas of improvement and expressed a commitment to addressing any shortcomings.

 

“Since 2018, we have been conducting internal research in the court and have a fairly high rating. It is an internal study that allows us to identify what is wrong with the court and what needs to be fixed. However, I tell you, I am never satisfied with what has been achieved,” Kadagidze concluded.

 

The US earlier this year imposed visa restrictions on three acting and one former judge for “significant corruption” and negative influence of domestic judiciary, with the current authorities demanding “evidence” backing the allegations.