Survey: Georgians Concerned about Political Influence on Courts

Nearly one-in-two Georgians consider that a “clan” – a handful of judges holding sway over their colleagues – exists in the judiciary, found a new survey commissioned by Transparency International Georgia, a local watchdog.

The opinion poll has demonstrated that Georgians are well aware of shortcomings plaguing the judiciary, TI Georgia said in a statement.

The survey was fielded by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), a pollster, from February 27 to March 18 through 1,763 nationwide interviews. The margin of error is in the region of 2.2%.

Out of 47% of respondents who say “a clan” is governing the judiciary, 88% say that judges affiliated with the “clan” must resign.

45% of the surveyed subscribe to the view that the ruling Georgian Dream party is in control of the judiciary, while 40 % think “the clan” keeps a tight grip on the court system.

Nearly half of Georgians say “detentions on political grounds” are widespread in the country, while 14 % say this never happens, according to the survey.

 TI Georgia said public perception of the Prosecutor’s Office “is alarming”: seven in ten respondents think the Prosecutor’s Office – entirely or partially – serves the interests of the ruling party.

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