Parliament Postpones Appointment of Supreme Court Judges

The Parliament of Georgia will deliberate on the appointment of the Supreme Court judges at its spring session, Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze announced at a news briefing on December 26.

According to Kobakhidze, “various stakeholders” have expressed their opinion that candidate selection and appointment should be held under “predefined procedures and criteria.”

“Considering this, and the position of the High Council of Justice voiced today, the Parliament will not decide on the Supreme Court appointments during the ongoing session; we will return to the issue in the beginning of the spring session to ensure that the Supreme Court is composed of highly qualified staff,” the Speaker added.

Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement came shortly after the judge members of the High Council of Justice released a joint statement, saying claims that they wanted the Parliamentary confirmation until the end of this year “was not right,” and that they too were in favor of “a complete and comprehensive” appointment process.

The list of ten Supreme Court nominees was announced by the High Council of Justice (HCoJ), the body overseeing the judiciary, on December 24.

Two non-judge Council members and a group of local rights watchdogs, slammed the decision, saying the process was not transparent and the candidates were shortlisted behind closed doors.

Opposition parties and some ruling party lawmakers, including Deputy Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili, joined public criticism against the proposed list.

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