Ex-Prosecutor General Again Selected for the Post
The Prosecutorial Council has selected Irakli Shotadze's candidacy for the position of the Prosecutor General of Georgia. He received 11 out of a total 12 votes. The Council will submit the candidate elected through a secret ballot to the Parliament of Georgia for approval.
The Council held individual interviews with the candidates on February 6 and selected four for the post, including the former Prosecutor General of Georgia. The three other candidates were Sophio Shengelia, Valerian Vacharadze and Dariko Tordia. Shotadze received 11 votes, Shengelia - 9 votes, Vacharadze - 8 votes and Tordia - 7 votes from 12 members of the Council.
Ex-Prosecutor General, lawyer Irakli Shotadze, resigned on May 31, 2018, amid protests over the high-profile “Khorava Street” murder case involving teenagers.
Recently, he was again nominated for the vacant position of Prosecutor General of Georgia by the LEPL Georgian Technical University.
During an interview, Shotadze noted that it was not easy for him to decide to participate in the competition and that the decision was made after much consideration.
The former Prosecutor General also commented on his resignation back in 2018.
"I believe that with my resignation this case (the so-called Khorava Street case) was brought to a logical conclusion. I still do not regret the decision,” he said.
Shotadze's decision to resign came after mass protests in relation to the Tbilisi City Court's verdict on the murder of two teenage boys in which two minors detained for the murder case were found guilty.
Two 16-year old schoolboys, Levan Dadunashvili and Davit Saralidze from Tbilisi Public School 51, were brutally stabbed to death during a street brawl in the city center on December 3, 2017. Dadunashvili died on the spot while Saralidze passed away in the hospital the next day.
The judge found one of the detainees guilty for the premeditated murder of one of the victims Dadunashvili, while another detainee was found guilty for the attempted murder of the second victim, Saralidze. However, the court failed to say who killed Saralidze.
After the court announced its verdict, Saralidze’s father, Zaza, went to the Prosecutor’s Office and demanded an answer as to who had killed his son, stating openly that he did not trust the investigation carried out and noted that there were too many questions left regarding the case.
Saralidze’s supporters gathered at the Prosecutor’s Office asked for “justice” and “a fair investigation.”
Shotadze said that the evidence submitted to the court by the Prosecutor’s Office would ensure a fair verdict on the case and all offenders would be punished, however, he had decided to leave his post due to the "humane side" of the latter issue.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: Former Prosecutor General Comments on His Resignation