Georgia Has New Chief Prosecutor

Georgian lawmakers supported Shalva Tadumadze’s candidacy for the post of the Chief Prosecutor of Georgia, which became vacant after the former Chief Prosecutor Irakli Shotadze resigned on June 5 amid the large-scale protest rallies in the capital. 

Tadumadze, who served as the Head of the Government’s Administration, was approved with 101 votes to 2 on July 16.

The new Chief Prosecutor will head the Prosecutor’s Office for six years.

The Ministry of Justice launched public consultations on selecting the new Chief Prosecutor on June 4. Academic circles, legal professionals and NGOs were able to nominate candidates for the position in accordance with the law and as a result of consultations, the Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani selected three candidates according to established criteria and submitted them to the Prosecutorial Council for approval.

The Prosecutorial Council chose Tadumadze and submitted his candidacy to Parliament, where the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) has 116 MPs out of total 150 seats.

Tadumadze is the sixth Chief Prosecutor since 2012, when the GD came to power.

Opposition parties claim the new Chief Prosecutor is GD founder and Chair, ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s favorite and also a relative of the Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani, whose resignation has been demanded by the non-governmental sector and opposition many times.

By Thea Morrison

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