The US Embassy in Georgia voiced displeasure with the ongoing selection process for Supreme Court judges, which will see four candidates interviewed on November 25-26 for four lifetime seats on the court.
The Embassy expressed concern that the appointments are being made before the Parliament has "finished an impartial examination of the previous waves of judicial reform," as stipulated in the EU-brokered April 19 agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition.
The statement also stated that judicial nominations are proceeding without the participation of non-judge members of the Georgian judiciary's oversight body, the High Council of Justice. There are presently five empty non-judge seats on the Council, which is normally made up of nine judges and six non-judge members.
“While the High Council and Parliament have rushed through the appointment of judges over the past year, there has been no action on non-judge appointments despite the positions being vacant for months,” the Embassy asserted, adding “The people of Georgia, through the non-judge High Council members, are supposed to have a voice in the selection of these influential and important judges.”
The U.S. Embassy stressed that “the exclusion of independent voices from this process adds to the impression that Supreme Court judicial appointments are being made without meaningful transparency, accountability, or impartiality.”
It strongly encouraged the Parliament to prioritise addressing the said issues before moving on with any further appointments, going on to stress that “Georgia’s closest partners and supporters, as well as Georgia’s political leaders, are united in agreeing that judicial reform needs to continue.”
“The goal now must be to build an impartial, transparent, merit-based judicial system that the people of Georgia can have full confidence in and that allows the full participation of the many qualified, ethical judges and lawyers who work with integrity to promote the rule of law,” the U.S. Embassy stated.
In a selection procedure lambasted by civil society, the Parliament is interviewing judges Genadi Makaridze, Nino Sandodze, Tamar Okropiridze, and Tea Dzimistarashvili.
The ruling Georgian Dream MPs had selected six Supreme Court judges in July 2021, which drew great criticism.
