UK imposes financial sanctions on Georgian judges Levan Murusidze and Mikheil Chinchaladze
UK imposes sanctions on Georgian judges
The UK has imposed sanctions on judges Mikheil Chinchaladze and Levan Murusidze. According to the accompanying document, all assets held by the sanctioned judges in the UK, including bank accounts, will be frozen.
The document cites possible corruption ties involving the judges.
The decision to impose sanctions was made in accordance with the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 and involves the introduction of financial restrictions.
The sanctions include the freezing of funds and assets of individuals who have been or are involved in serious corruption.
The document urges parties to refrain from dealing with funds or economic resources belonging to those on the sanctions list, unless authorised by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) or covered by other exemptions.
Failure to comply with UK financial sanctions or attempts to circumvent them may result in criminal liability.
Sanctions against Mikheil Chinchaladze
According to the document, Mikheil Chinchaladze is subject to sanctions as he “received a financial advantage as a reward for improperly performing his public functions, specifically improperly asserting his influence as chairman of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals to ensure that judicial appointments and decisions favoured the incumbent Georgian Dream Party.”
“As Chairman of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, a foreign public official performing an executive or judicial function, he accepted an advantage, namely a lifetime appointment to Tbilisi Court of Appeals, intending in consequence to continue improperly performing his public functions by ensuring that decisions in the Tbilisi Court of Appeals favour the incumbent Georgia Dream Party,” the document added.
Sanctions against Levan Murusidze
The document states that Levan Murusidze, “received a financial advantage as a reward for improperly performing his public functions, specifically improperly asserting his influence as a Member of the High Council of Justice to ensure that judicial appointments and decisions favoured the incumbent Georgian Dream Party.”
The document adds that Murusidze “has been involved in serious corruption” and, as member of Georgia’s High Council of Justice, “accepted an advantage, namely a lifetime appointment to the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, intending in consequence to continue improperly performing his public functions by ensuring that judicial appointments and decisions favour the incumbent Georgian Dream Party.”
On 19 December 2024, the UK imposed sanctions on five senior Georgian officials. Among those sanctioned are Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Vakhtang Gomelauri, his deputy and head of the Special Assignments Department Zviad Kharazishvili, his own deputy, and the chief of Tbilisi police.
According to the UK government, they are responsible for violent attacks on journalists and peaceful protesters.
The sanctions followed the UK’s decision to suspend all support programmes for the Georgian government, including in the defence sector. The British government has also scaled back cooperation with the ruling Georgian Dream party.
