"Corruption is behind US sanctions on judges" - Irakli Kobakhidze

JAMnews

Tbilisi

Kobakhidze on sanctions against judges

Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze commented on the US State Department’s imposition of sanctions on four high-ranking judges that behind Anthony Blinken’s decision “there is corruption.” As he maintains, “the Secretary of State was involved in all this, and this shows the corruption behind the decision.”

Kobakhidze also told pro-government Imedi TV that Blinken clearly “doesn’t go to sleep and wake up thinking about Georgia” and “has a lot to do”:

“I have to give a tough assessment of these sanctions. […] Corruption is not only about money. Particularly outrageous is the fact that Secretary of State Blinken was directly smearing with this statement, which is very bad. It speaks very badly of the people who bring such information to the Secretary of State.”

Kobakhidze again mentioned Mikheil Saakashvili and said that “if it is necessary to punish someone, then it is worth starting with Saakashvili.”

“The truth is on our side, this is the main thing. There is no truth on their side. Talk to us according to the rules, this is our strict requirement — we will not stand on one leg, we will stand on two legs and defend the sovereignty of our country.

“We have other topics, I would like to mention them, but I don’t want to talk about it today. Maybe the time will come in the future. We have many other topics, including the fact that we were asked for money in telephone conversations, etc. I want to urge everyone to follow the rules and act according to the rules. Our principle is that the court should be independent,” Kobakhidze said.

The other leader of the ruling party, Archil Talakvadze, said “it’s a pity that our friendship, strategic relations [between the US and Georgia] have reached the point where we talk to each other in the language of sanctions.”

“The balance has returned, which means that the state no longer wins in court in 99 percent of cases, as it was under the previous government. Now there is a reasonable balance, where both citizens prove their case, and the state. This is obvious, it cannot be ignored, even the United States knows this,” Talakvadze said.

The US State Department imposed sanctions on judges Mikhail Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Irakli Shengelia and Valerian Tsertsvadze, as well as their family members, and banned them from entering the US “due to significant corrupt activities”, as a statement by Antony Blinken reads.

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Independent experts and human rights activists have noted for years that Levan Murusidze and Mikhail Chinchaladze lead a powerful “clan” of judges that is blocking the reforms needed to strengthen ties between Georgia and the EU. Both judges are associated with an influential body – the High Council of Justice. It is the main supervisory body of the country’s judiciary.

The judges are also believed to be linked to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the richest man in Georgia, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and informal ruler of the country.

Murusidze was also distinguished by his loyalty to the previous government – he was a judge in the high-profile case of Sandro Girgvliani during the reign of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement party. Murusudze’s name is also associated with the commutation of sentences for those accused in the murder of Sandro Girgvliani.

A clause on the improvement of the judiciary was also included in the Charles Michel agreement of 19 April. Later, the US Ambassador also made statements several times. However, the government did not stop the process and continued to appoint life judges to the Supreme Court.

On October 31, the conference of judges elected two new members of the High Council of Justice: Paata Silagadze and Giorgi Goginashvili. It is believed that Silagadze and Goginashvili are members of the so-called judicial “clan” and both of them are appointed for life as judges of the Tbilisi Court of Appeal.

Kobakhidze on sanctions against judges