Opposition Accused US Embassy of Discrimination and Crime, Kobakhidze Says
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Yesterday, the US Embassy in Georgia released a statement regarding the judicial system, where it is noted that the US embassy has been supporting Georgia’s judiciary through different programs aimed at strengthening its independence.
“For 30 years, the United States has supported Georgia’s judiciary through programs intended to strengthen its capacity and independence. Our non-partisan, apolitical support has been provided no matter the party in power. We are confident that our efforts comply with both Georgian and U.S. law,” reads the statement.
Earlier, Formula TV reported that the court verdict for Nika Gvaramia, Director General of Mtavari Arkhi, prompted the US Embassy to exclude judge Lasha Chkhikvadze from a program, within the framework of which he was supposed to travel to the United States to attend a seminar. Gvaramia was found guilty of abusing power at his previous position as the director-general of Rustavi 2 TV, ‘costing the company financial losses’. The majority of the Georgian opposition leaders consider the decision unfair and politically motivated.
Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the Georgian Dream referred to the statement made by the opposition forces, saying that the opposition ‘directly accused the US Embassy of exerting pressure on a judge, violating his judicial independence, as well as discrimination and informal governance attempts’. He also stated that it is a crime not to allow a judge to attend a seminar due to a specific decision.
Kobakhidze noted that it is inconceivable to him that the diplomats of Thomas Jefferson's country were interfering in the independence of the judiciary, “which is conceivable for the National Movement, Nino Lomjaria and others".
According to Kobakhidze, the Ruling party asked the US embassy to release information contrary to what the opposition had stated. As he noted, the embassy's statement confirms that the opposition was lying and accusing the embassy of crimes.
"If there is an anti-Western campaign, it is the very accusation of the US Embassy by the opposition of pressuring the court,” Kobakhidze said, adding that "naturally, the US Embassy would never exert pressure on the court."
As Khatia Dekanoidze, the leader of the National Movement faction stated, Kobakhidze's statements confirmed that the judges and their ‘clan’ are very nervous. According to her, everyone in the Department of State, in the Senate, and in Congress, knows the first and last names of the judges who belong to the politically motivated ‘clan’, thereby, ‘the concerns of those judges are relevant’.
Ana Natsvlishvili, one of the leaders of Lelo stated that Kobakhidze’s statement is ‘nonsense’ in terms of law and It is ‘absolutely’ right to sanction the judges who execute the political will of the government. According to her, the government may gradually lose the judges performing political tasks, which is why the ruling team is panicking.
“If you no longer have these judges as butchers of the law, then how will you be able to conduct the politics in the country you are pursuing?” said Natsvlishvili in response to Kobakhidze’s statement.
According to Natsvlishvili, this is the first sanctioned judge and the process will continue until the ‘repressive systems collapse’.
