Prosecutor’s Office leading investigation into case of pressure on judges

Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office is leading investigation into case of alleged pressure on two judges of Supreme Court Besarion Arveladze and Paata Katamadze, working over pending Rustavi 2 TV Company case, under Article 364 of Criminal Code of Georgia. The two judges as well as Nino Gvenetadze, Chairperson of Supreme Court, applied to Prosecutor’s Office to report about the pressure. 

Chief investigation body confirms the fact that former high-ranking official sent menacing and pressuring messages to the two judges and that they received SMS from foreign cellular telephone number. However, the investigation body refrains from naming the person and talking about the details. 

Nika Gvaramia, General Director of Rustavi 2 TV Company claims that the judges presiding over the Rustavi 2 case were told either to withdraw their application on pressure from the Prosecutor's Office or to change the names of those accused of pressure. 

As Gvaramia said at the press conference today, all branches, expect for the President, are involved in the criminal activity against the judges. "For the first time in the history of Georgia we are dealing with a case when Supreme Court judges expose the system from the inside and speak about pressure exerted on them,” Gvaramia said.

Georgian politicians commented about the fact of alleged pressure on judges. They all agree that harsh interference into court’s activities is unacceptable.