Parliament Confirms Chiefs of Special Investigation, Personal Data Protection Agencies

The Georgian Parliament has confirmed Karlo Katsitadze, 35, and Lela Janashvili, 51, as the respective chiefs of the forthcoming Special Investigation and Personal Data Protection agencies.

The bodies will replace from March the outspoken State Inspector’s Service which had combined the responsibilities of the two new offices, before GD abolished the agency in a matter of a week in late December.

Katsitadze was elected to the post with 76 votes in favor and 1 against, while Janashvili received 77 votes in favor and 2 against. Their opponents, Emzar Gagnidze and Tamar Alpaidze, received six and four votes, respectively.

The freshly elected Special Investigation Service chief, has until now served as the Head of Department for Procedural Guidance over Investigation in the State Inspector at the Prosecutor’s Office.

Meanwhile, the GD’s pick for the Personal Data Protection Service, Lela Janashvili works as Associate Professor of Law at Tbilisi State University. She holds PhD in Law from The Autonomous University of Barcelona.

• Ruling Party Names Picks for Special Investigation, Personal Data Agencies
• Hopefuls to Lead New Personal Data, Special Investigation Offices Shortlisted

While the lawmakers have now appointed the chiefs of the forthcoming agencies, outgoing State Inspector Londa Toloraia, has lodged an appeal at Georgia’s Constitutional Court, is also preparing for a legal battle to prevent the disbanding of her office.

The Public Defender’s Office of Georgia has lodged a separate constitutional suit against the dissolution of the Agency. It has also called on the Constitutional Court to suspend the disbanding of the body before March 1 and until it delivers a ruling.

Read Also:

• Hopefuls to Lead New Personal Data, Special Investigation Offices Shortlisted
• Outgoing Inspector Appeals Law Abolishing Her Office in Constitutional Court
• UN: Disbanding Inspector’s Service ‘Chilling Message’ to Other Bodies

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