New Justice Minister, Prison System Chief Appointed

New Justice Minister Kavtaradze says continuation of reforms will be his top priority.

President Saakashvili announced on December 22 that he dismissed Justice Minister Kote Kemularia and chief of the penitentiary system Shota Kopadze.

Saakashvili also said, while speaking at the session of the National Security Council, that Chairman of the Central Election Commission Gia Kavtaradze will replace Kemularia at the Justice Minister’s position.

Kemularia will be appointed as Secretary of National Security Council (NSC), replacing Levan Choladze. The latter was appointed to this position in November, after Gela Bezhuashvili became the country’s new Foreign Minister on October 20. Analysts say that the role of the NSC will be significantly reduced after the planned reform of the Council.

The President also said that Bacho Akhalaia, deputy public defender, will be appointed as new chief of the penitentiary system.

“Kote Kemularia is a professional… who has launched reforms in the penitentiary system,” Saakashvili said, but added that more vigorous reforms are needed to improve the situation in the prison system.

Ex-Justice Minister Kemularia has been under fire from human rights groups recently over the suspected mistreatment of ailing inmates in the prisons and corruption associated with inmate healthcare. Some human rights groups have been calling on the President to sack both Kemularia Kopadze.

Kemularia and Kopadze were also often criticized by the Public Defender’s Office – in particular Deputy Ombudsman Bacho Akhalaia, who is now appointed new chief of penitentiary system.

Akhalaia is the brother of Data Akhalaia, the chief of the constitutional security department at the Interior Ministry and son of Roland Akhalaia, who is the chief prosecutor of the Samegrelo region in western Georgia.

“[Bacho Akhalaia] is a person who has never worked in the law enforcement agencies but is a person who, I am sure, will manage the system much better than many of those who have work experience there [in the prison system]. Absolutely different kinds of people are needed there – people who have new vision and honesty,” Saakashvili said.

Shortly before this announcement about these changes in the cabinet the Georgian media speculated about an anticipated government reshuffle involving the resignation of the Prime Minister Nogaideli as well. But President Saakashvili said at the National Security Council session that no major cabinet reshuffle is anticipated. He said that the authorities should have a stable staff policy.

“This is just a minor reshuffle… In the future, the changes we will make will be even more minor, because the Georgian government has already established [itself] as an effective team,” Saakashvili said.

“I categorically ban the dismissals of old deputy ministers by a new minister. None of the deputies will be changed, none of the chiefs of department will be dismissed, every employee [at the ministry] will remain in office. We do not need a system when a new minister takes office and replaces everyone in the ministry. We need a stable civil service,” he added.

New Justice Minister Gia Kavtaradze, who was approved by the Parliament as the Chairman of the Central Election Commission in June, is the former secretary of the Justice Council who later, in 2002, founded the legal and financial consulting firm DVNK. His business-partners were Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli and Chairman of government of the Adjara Autonomous Republic Levan Varshalomidze.

Gia Kavtaradze said shortly after the new appointment on December 22 that continuation of reforms in the prison system will be his major priority as Justice Minister.

“Reforms have already been started in the Justice Ministry, like in other sectors. So I set the continuation of these reforms as my priority. This is not an easy task, this is a long-term project,” Kavtaradze said in an interview with the Rustavi 2 television station.