The so-called Independent Inspector’s Service and the position of Independent Inspector within the judicial system are being abolished

The so-called Independent Inspector’s Service and the position of Independent Inspector within the judicial system are being abolished.

Its abolition is scheduled to take effect from September 1. The functions of the Independent Inspector will be performed by the Secretary of the High Council of Justice through a corresponding structural unit established within the Council.

This is reflected within the framework of the draft amendments to the Law on Common Courts, which the Parliament will consider in the first reading under an accelerated procedure.

“As a rule, the issue of disciplinary prosecution of an official or public servant should be decided by the body that appointed them. Therefore, it is more appropriate that significant decisions within the framework of disciplinary proceedings against judges—such as initiating an investigation, obtaining explanations from a judge, terminating proceedings on formal grounds, etc.—be made not by a subject independent of the constitutional body responsible for appointing judges, i.e., the Independent Inspector, but by an official directly elected by judges, who represents one of the leading figures of the Council and is a professional judge,” the initiators of the draft explain.

The draft law was prepared by deputies of the “Georgian Dream” party. It has been introduced in Parliament and is being considered under an accelerated procedure.