MPs Teona Akubardia, Khatuna Samnidze, Tamar Kordzaia, Khatia Dekanoidze, Ana Buchukuri and Ana Natsvlishvili published a joint statement noting independent justice is a paramount milestone in the democratic development and EU integration of Georgia adding the European Commission has submitted 12 preconditions to Georgia for the reception of the status of the EU candidate state, including independent justice as one of the key aspects.
As noted in the statement, the EU and the USA actively support the enhancement of independent justice in Georgia. The single-party changes on the Common Courts hastily and non-inclusively introduced to the Organic Law last year gained a drastically negative assessment by Western partners and the most authoritative professional institution – Venice Commission, and it is the constitutionality of this issue to be discussed by the Constitutional Court.
“The Chair of the Legal Issues Committee, Anri Okhanashvili has publicly expressed his position on the case to be considered in the Constitutional Court, demanding the recusal of Judge Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze regardless of the applicable practice of the Constitutional Court. We, the Opposition MPs call on the Parliamentary Majority to abstain from the public statements regarding the Constitutional Claim not under consideration yet; even the plaintiffs did not know the identity of the rapporteur judge and hence, nor the recusal document has been submitted to the plaintiffs.
We believe that the political statements of the MPs from the ruling party concerning the claim to be considered by the Constitutional Court prior to the consideration are nothing but an attempt to somehow influence the Constitutional Court by the Parliament to politicize the case, which is inadmissible,” reads the statement.
