Georgian PM highlights independence of judiciary as one of cornerstones of country's independence

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday highlighted a “very interesting” meeting with the judges of the Supreme Court and the members of the High Council of Justice, discussing all matters related to the functioning of the judiciary in the country as well as its independence.

In his remarks following the meeting, Kobakhidze emphasised the independence of the judiciary as one of the cornerstones of the country's independence, noting that the Government would be as principled as possible regarding this issue.

“For us, further strengthening of judicial independence is one of the main priorities, protecting the independence of the judiciary is one of the main priorities. In this regard, you know that there are specific challenges, including the same direct interference that has been carried out for years in the independence of the Georgian judiciary”, the PM said.

The meeting also reviewed interferences with the independence of the Georgian Judiciary as well as the issue of imposing sanctions on Levan Murusidze, a member of Georgia’s High Council of Justice and a judge at the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, and Mikheil Chinchaladze, the Chair of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals by the United Kingdom Government on Wednesday.

“I can emphasize once again that all this is tragic for the countries that impose sanctions. [...]. Of course, we will counter such developments by further strengthening the independence of the judiciary. There is no alternative to this. The independence of the judiciary is one of the cornerstones of the independence of our country, and therefore we will be as principled as possible here”, Kobakhidze concluded.