We are ready for reform, but not for a “witch hunt”

The support of my colleagues testifies to my qualifications and conscientiousness to carry out these high-status functions. The accusations that are heard against me and my colleagues are absolutely unfounded, – Dmitry Gvritishvili, a judge elected today, a member of the High Council of Justice, said in an interview with journalists.

As Gvritishvili noted, neither he nor his colleagues are opponents of judicial reform, but on the contrary, they understand that “the reform must be of a permanent nature.”

“As you know, I was a member of all the working groups that dealt with the reforms that should be carried out in the judiciary, whether legislative or otherwise. Now, with the mandate of a current member of the Council, I will actively engage in the work of this working group and will use my experience and knowledge to ensure that our court is formed in accordance with international standards and functions in a way that contributes to the strengthening of democracy and the rule of law. Perhaps the support of my colleagues testifies to my qualifications and conscientiousness to perform these high-status functions. As for Levan Murusidze, he is a judge with more experience and qualifications than me. The accusations that are heard against him, as well as me and my colleagues, are absolutely unfounded. The theme of the so-called. “clan” is not supported by any evidence and facts, just certain forces, be it politicians or the non-governmental sector, are satisfied with the manipulation of the topic of the court to implement their own political agenda. In order to make such accusations against a judge, solid evidence and references to specific facts are needed, which we have not seen in years in this smear campaign. This is the reason for such unanimous support by our colleagues of Levan Murusidze and my candidacy,” Gvritishvili said.

According to him, he is ready to cooperate with international partners and other interested parties.

“Communication with our international partners or other entities that are interested in the judicial system is important. I am included in all working groups – as a member, I also presented my legislative initiatives, and my proposals were divided and became laws. My colleagues and I are never against any reform, on the contrary, we understand that the reform should be permanent. In any case, we are ready for reforms, but not for the so-called “witch hunt” and wasting time answering accusations made from the finger. On the contrary, we believe that we should use this time and our resources to ensure that the judiciary is at the proper level, and justice in Georgia is at the level of international standards,” said Dmitry Gvritishvili.