Kavelashvili Replaces Zurabishvili’s Appointee to the High Council of Justice
Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili has appointed Manuchar Kakochashvili as a non-judge member of the High Council of Justice, the body responsible for overseeing the judiciary, for a four-year term. The appointment follows a decision by the Tbilisi City Court on March 12, which ruled in favor of Kakochashvili’s appeal and annulled the earlier decree by President Salome Zurabishvili appointing Kakha Tsikarishvili to the HCoJ .
“As a result of a thorough review of the materials in the case, it became clear that the appointment of Kakha Tsikarishvili as a member of the High Council of Justice was carried out with procedural violations stipulated by the legislation,” a press release from Mikheil Kavelashvili’s office stated.
On July 15, 2024, President Salome Zurabishvili appointed Tsikarishvili, as a non-judge member to the HCoJ. Kakochashvili, who was also a candidate in the same competition, challenged the appointment, arguing that the selection committee responsible for recommending candidates was biased and composed of individuals with close ties to each other. He also claimed that Tsikarishvili was not sufficiently questioned about his qualifications during the selection process.
After reviewing the case, the court on July 22, 2024, suspended President Zurabishvili’s decree. The ruling found that Tsikarishvili’s appointment had been made with procedural violations. President Zurabishvili’s Parliamentary Secretary Giorgi Mskhiladze denounced the Court’s “unprecedented” decision, calling it “direct” and “illegal” interference in the President’s constitutional right to appoint the member of the HCoJ. Mskhiladze also said that the decision is tantamount of deprivation of a head of state of her constitutional right.
According to Article 52 of the Georgian Constitution, the President of Georgia has the right to appoint one member of the HCoJ.
Also Read:
- 15/07/2024 – President Appoints Non-Judge Member to HCoJ Board
- 11/03/2024 – Supreme Court Denounces Proposed ‘Vetting’ as Threat to Judicial Independence
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