The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said today the Georgian Parliament’s failure to introduce a 3/5 majority vote for the selection of the Prosecutor General “is another missed opportunity to increase the independence, transparency, and integrity of Georgia’s judiciary.”
The Embassy recalled that the proposed change was recommended for Georgia by the Venice Commission, in a report requested by Parliament, adding that equally as important was the EU-brokered April 19 deal, signed by Georgian Dream among others, that committed to making the change to increase the public’s confidence in the independence of the Prosecutor General from political interference.
Noting that the Georgian Dream’s refusal to support the amendment contradicts its July 28 reiteration of its commitment to the judicial reforms and the Constitutional amendments laid out in the April 19 deal, the U.S. Embassy said “this is yet another broken promise by the ruling party to make the much-needed judicial reforms that Georgian Dream and opposition party leaders have pledged, of their own accord, to adopt.”
“The people of Georgia deserve an impartial, independent judiciary that is not used for political purposes,” stressed the U.S. Embassy, adding that qualified professionals in the Prosecutor’s Office, and the court system more broadly, should be allowed to uphold the law without political pressure. The Constitutional amendment reforming the appointment process for the Prosecutor General would have been an important step toward that goal, it added.
Also Read:
- EU: Georgia Failed Third Pledge on Judicial Reform
- Parliament Endorses Constitutional Amendments in First Hearing
- Georgian Dream Quits EU-brokered Deal
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