“Judges must act in accordance with their professional responsibility — no one should evade accountability,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in response to a question about Manana Kobakhidze, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of Georgia.

The Prime Minister said he had reviewed the content of Manana Kobakhidze’s statement, which, in his assessment, differed from the published headline.

“I saw the content of her statement. It differed from the headline. She spoke about her intention to continue working as a lawyer and was only saying that she did not want to end her legal career. The headline presented the matter differently, but that is not particularly important. What matters is that judges must act in accordance with their professional responsibility. No one should evade accountability. That is the only thing I can say,” the Prime Minister stated.

It should be recalled that former judge Manana Kobakhidze initially requested to recuse herself from hearing the lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties. After her motion was rejected, she left her position as a Constitutional Court judge before the end of her term.

Manana Kobakhidze made her first public comment on the matter to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, stating that her motion to recuse herself from the constitutional claim had been prompted by her “inner conviction and judicial conscience.”

“I requested recusal when I had to deal directly with the case. Until then, it had not been before me for consideration. When the case was referred to the Plenum, I submitted the motion in accordance with the law, as my inner conviction or judicial conscience dictated,” Manana Kobakhidze said.

According to her, the decision to recuse herself was an “independent step,” and she believes she made the right decision.

“There is always room for speculation. I have heard all kinds of comments, and I do not think I should respond to them. Although I am now a former judge, my professional ethics still require me not to discuss this matter any further. This was my personal decision, my own independent step, and nothing more. I believe I was right,” she stated.

Kobakhidze cited her political background as one of the reasons for her decision, noting that she is a founder of the party that is now seeking to ban opposition parties.

She also discussed her future plans, saying that she intends to reinstate her membership in the Georgian Bar Association.

“I am a founding member of the Bar Association. In 2003, when the revolutionary wave was unfolding outside, the first generation of lawyers who established the association took the bar examination inside the Parliament building. I worked hard, fought hard and invested a great deal of energy, and I do not want my career as a lawyer to end along with my judicial mandate. Therefore, I will definitely reinstate my membership in the association. For now, I will work as an independent lawyer, and time will tell what comes next,” Manana Kobakhidze said.