The Democracy Research Institute responds to the nomination of Irakli Shotadze to the Prosecutorial Council by the Georgian Technical University and believes that the appointment of Irakli Shotadze to the Prosecutor General’s position will be the government’s refusal to establish an independent, transparent and depoliticised Prosecutor's Office.

Irakli Shotadze was elected as a Chief Prosecutor in 2015 by the Parliament of Georgia. Shotadze resigned on May 31, 2018, over mass protests in relation to the case of juveniles killed on Khorava Street.

Issues related to the alleged politicization of the Prosecutor's Office and its existence as an independent and impartial state institution remained unsolved during Irakli Shotadze's time as a Chief Prosecutor. Moreover, the period he was the Chief Prosecutor is related to delaying[1] investigations of high profile criminal cases, their misdirection and alleged protection of senior officials in particular criminal cases. In addition, questions about the role of senior prosecutors, including Irakli Shotadze himself, in investigating the case of the murder of David Saralidze have not been answered to date.

Given that the government’s answers on Irakli Shotadze’s participation in informal negotiations between the political and business entities are not compelling, the team of the Democracy Research Institute believes that Shotadze as a Prosecutor General can not ensure that the Prosecutor’s Office’s work will be based on the principles of impartiality, objectivity and neutrality provided by the law.

In light of this, the Democracy Research Institute calls on the Prosecutorial Council to reject Irakli Shotadze’s candidacy for the Prosecutor General’s position.

[1] For example, cases of kidnapping of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli in the center of Tbilisi and murder of Temirlan Machalikashvili.