Government launches reform to Prosecutor’s Office
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, December 19
The Georgian government launched new reforms at the Prosecutor’s Office together with the Interior Ministry. Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili emphasized on December 18, that the independence and accountability of the Prosecutor’s Office should be increased.
The PM asked that NGOs get involved in the process. He also mentioned that an NGO established by former Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili will contribute into the reform.
“I want to ask to Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani to establish a working group that will be engaged in this reform,” he said.
Garibashvili stressed that the main goal of the current government was to support the Prosecutor’s Office as an efficient mechanism for fighting crime.
“We aim to strengthen it, as the body should serve the principles of the rule of law,” Gharibashvili said.
Reforming these important institutions was a pre-election promise given by the Georgian Dream coalition to the Georgian people.
Parliament Chair Davit Usupashvili stressed that Georgia still practiced old-fashioned approaches regarding the police, and there were lots of question marks with regard to the Prosecutor’s Office as well.
The recent European Parliament resolution also highlighted the lack of accountability of the prosecutor’s office.
Members of the United National Movement (UNM) claim that the Prosecutor’s Office has become a lever for the current government to persecute former officials. These statements were dismissed by coalition members. They state that the current government does not interfere in the Prosecutor’s Office activities.
Analyst Soso Tsiskarishvili told The Messenger that the current Prosecutor’s Office is full of the former government’s staff left there after the Georgian Dream came to office. He stresses that in many cases, the Prosecutor’s Office activities create awkward or negative situations for the current government. He suggests that the old staff should be removed from the office and it should be replaced by new, qualified employees.
