Tzulukiani vs. Kublashvili
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, January 11
Court reform will be carried out and presumably beginning in the spring, a fair court process will be underway. A statement concerning the issue was made by the Minister of Justice Thea Tzulukiani. The minister emphasized that very soon the court system will be freed from the influence of the head of the Supreme Court, Kote Kublashvili, the President of Georgia and various representatives of the United National Movement party.
“The author of the reform is the Ministry of Justice and the special department of the ministry. Various drafts have been created and very soon those drafts will become laws. Presumably, starting in the spring, the situation will change to a positive one,” Tsulukiani said.
Tsulukiani emphasized that very soon Kublashvili will not be the controller of each chain of the court and the founder of an unfair court.
“The [new] government’s dreams will not come true,” Kublashvili said in response to Tzulukiani. According to the chair of the Supreme Court, the statements made by Tzulukiani concerning the unfairness of the court are “nonsense.”
“The fact that the government and some ministers doubt the court impartiality is not the problem […] public trust is essential for us. Nothing will be achieved through such statements being made by Tzulukiani. If they want to achieve such outcomes from the court that are desirable for the government, their arguments should be strong and their position should be strengthened with proof,” Kublashvili stated.
Parliament vice-speaker Manana Kobakhidze claims that currently the court system is completely free from prosecutor’s office interference.
“I can state that the Chief Prosecutor, Archil Kbilashvili, will not call to any judge and ask him to make a decision that will be favored by the prosecutor’s office. However, how free is the court from the president’s and Kublashvili’s influence is another question and the issue should be studied,” Kobakhidze stated.
Minority representatives claim that significant reforms have been carried out in the court and the court system is not depended on the will of any political player.
Many Georgian analysts also think that currently, Georgia does not satisfy NATO and EU standards and is a long way off due to several problems. Analysts Ramaz Sakvarelidze and Gia Khukhashvili draw attention to the demands of international organizations– for example NATO asks for court reform yet this is not being carried out inside the country yet.
Based on the analysts, legal reform in Georgia is one of the most pressing issues inside the country.
Several complaints have been aired by local NGOs concerning various court verdicts, including the Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association. The organization has stated that many court decisions resulted in serious question marks with regard to their fairness and validity.
