Investigators Interview Constitutional Court Judges over Alleged Pressure

Investigators from the prosecutor’s office are interviewing judges of the Constitutional Court over the allegations that pressure was exerted on the Court.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Giorgi Papuashvili, who voiced the allegation publicly last week, met Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze on July 28, a day after meeting with PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili to share his information about alleged pressure.

Prosecutor’s Office opened investigation on July 26, four days after Papuashvili said on July 21 that “some of the judges” of the 9-member Court were “pressured” and “blackmailed” to either rule in favor of the authorities or drag out verdicts in several high-profile cases.

• Constitutional Court Chair Speaks of ‘Alarming Pressure’
• Prosecutor’s Office Probes into Alleged Pressure on Constitutional Court 
• After Meeting Constitutional Court Chair, President Speaks of ‘Dangerous Trend’ 
• PM, Politicians Comment on President’s Allegation of ‘Pressure’ on his Relative

At least three judges have been so far interviewed by prosecutors – Lali Papiashvili; Ketevan Eremadze, and Konstantine Vardzelashvili; the latter is the deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court.
 
Papiashvili, who is the judge of the Constitutional Court since late 2007, told journalists outside the prosecutor’s office on July 27 that there has never been an attempt of pressure on her and she is not also aware of pressure being exerted to other members of the Constitutional Court; Papiashvili also said that she learned about alleged pressure only after the Constitutional Court chair spoke about it publicly at a news conference on July 21.

Eremadze, who is the Constitutional Court judge since 2006, told journalists before being interviewed by investigators on July 28, that although there has not been pressure on her, she, like most of the other members of the Court, learned about the alleged pressure “several days” before the Constitutional Court chair spoke about it publicly. She said that when the Court was holding its routine plenary sitting in presence of all but one judges, Papuashvili shared with colleagues his concerns over “information he received from one of the judges” about pressure; she declined to specify, adding that it was only up to the judge in question to speak about it publicly.

Konstantine Vardzelashvili, who is the judge of the Constitutional Court since 2006 and who arrived at the prosecutor’s office in Tbilisi on July 28, refused to respond when asked by journalists if the pressure was exerted on him. “If every judge, who comes here, responds to this question it will be very easy for you to single out the one in question,” he said, and also added: “There are no circumstances whatsoever that can influence on decisions I take [on cases under the Court’s adjudication].”

He also said that he and some other judges, among them another deputy chair of the Constitutional Court Zaza Tavadze, were informed by Papuashvili about the alleged pressure before the latter spoke about it publicly on July 21.

Merab Turava, who is the judge of the Constitutional Court since March 2015, and who has yet to be interviewed by the investigators, said earlier that no pressure was exerted on him.
 
The Constitutional Court Chairman, Giorgi Papuashvili, was refusing to give any information to the prosecutor’s office before the meeting with the PM, suggesting that he wanted political guarantees that the case would be handled property by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. His doubts over the objectivity of the probe, according to Papuashvili, stem from the law enforcement agencies’ failure to address his previous allegations and concerns over the pressure.

PM Kvirikashvili, who has criticized Papuashvili’s such stance as an attempt to portray “as if prosecutor’s office is under government’s control”, met the Constitutional Court chair on July 27.

“I still have question marks, but the PM remained on his position that he has confidence in the prosecutor’s office,” Papuashvili, whose ten-year term in the Constitutional Court expires in September, told journalists after the meeting.

PM’s office said in a statement after the meeting that Kvirikashvili “called on the Constitutional Court chair once again to cooperate with the prosecutor’s office and told him that the investigation of this issue falls within the prosecutor’s office, which is an independent body.”

“The head of the government thinks that it is inadmissible to discredit institutions and everyone, regardless of their rank, should respect them,” the PM’s office said.

Politicians from the ruling GDDG party, chaired by the PM, have already voiced their skepticism over the veracity of allegations leveled by the Constitutional Court chair, suggesting that Papuashvili is driven by political motives.

Papuashvili told journalists after the meeting with Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze on July 28 that it was not a formal interview, but a “very open conversation” during which he shared some of the information as well as his concerns over the objectivity of the probe.

“He had a very constructive approach and said that he was taking a personal responsibility that the investigation will be carried out objectively,” Papuashvili said and added that he will keep in touch with the Chief Prosecutor in order to allay concerns the judges might have over possible further pressure as a “retribution” for providing information to the investigators.

Asked if now he thinks that the investigation will be objective, Papuashvili responded: “I hope – there are preconditions for that after my meetings with the President, then with the Prime Minister and now with the Chief Prosecutor.”