Former Chief Prosecutor reveals reform concept
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, December 24
Head of Georgia’s European Choice, former Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili revealed his concept with regard to the planned reforms of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office on December 23.
According to him all high-level state bodies should be involved in appointing the chief prosecutor and an impeachment procedure should be applied in certain cases.
“Georgia’s president and the parliament should be involved in the selection and appointment procedure of the country’s chief prosecutor. An impeachment procedure should be used in the case of dismissal, as it concerns the members of the Supreme Court,” Kbilashvili said.
The former official recognized that individual prosecutors are not currently free from the Chief Prosecutor’s influence.
“From 2012-2014, 97 prosecutors left their jobs based on their own will. This might suggest that they could not protect their views and at the same time refused to meet the Chief Prosecutor’s demands,” Kbilashvili said.
Kbilashvili has recommended the formation of a disciplinary council, where ordinary prosecutors will be able to defend their positions.
Several days ago Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili stated that the government was going to fulfill its pre-election promise in terms of creating systemic reforms in the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The PM stated that Archil Kbilashvili’s initiatives would have been interesting regarding the reform of the Prosecutor’s Office.
Gharibashvili asked Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani to establish a working group that will be engaged in this reform and appealed to NGOs to show interest regarding the issue.
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.
However, some analysts, Soso Tsiskarishvili among them, believe that the body is full of the former government’s staff.
He stresses that in many cases, the Prosecutor’s Office activities create an awkward or negative situation for the current government.
