Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TBILISI2131
2007-08-24 12:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tbilisi
Cable title:  

GOG PROPERTY GRANT TO JUDGES' ASSOCIATION RAISES

Tags:  PGOV ECON GG 
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VZCZCXRO9307
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSI #2131 2361219
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241219Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7424
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 002131 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/CARC, EUR/RPM AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV ECON GG
SUBJECT: GOG PROPERTY GRANT TO JUDGES' ASSOCIATION RAISES
EYEBROWS


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Mark X. Perry, reason 1.4(b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 002131

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/CARC, EUR/RPM AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV ECON GG
SUBJECT: GOG PROPERTY GRANT TO JUDGES' ASSOCIATION RAISES
EYEBROWS


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Mark X. Perry, reason 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) On June 5, in accord with Georgia's effort to fight
corruption among judges, President Saakashvili issued a
decree directing the Ministry of Economic Development to sell
a building and adjoining property in the Tbilisi suburb of
Saburtalo to a "community-based organization," Temida. The
decree further stated that the members of Temida, who are
current judges of the Georgian Supreme Court, the Tbilisi
Court of Appeal and the Tbilisi City Court, should be granted
apartments in the building. The sales price of the property
was USD 200,000, or USD 17.50 per square meter. The Ministry
completed the transfer of the building to Temida on June 25.


2. (U) The opposition Republican Party, in particular,
objected strongly to the sale. They contend that buildings
and land in the same area are being sold for USD 1690 per
square meter, although we are unable to confirm this is the
going price in the area of the building. According to real
estate experts, finished apartments can sell for from USD
350-1500 per square meter in Tbilisi, depending on location.
We have no information about the condition of the building or
whether it is intended to be demolished or renovated by the
new owners.


3. (C) On August 20, Charge met with Zurab Adeishvili,
General Prosecutor of Georgia. Charge suggested to
Adeishvili that selling property at a discount price to the
judges' organization, for the use of judges while they are in
office, may be justifiable. However, granting property to
judges in their individual capacities and their heirs could
reasonably call into question the independence of the judges
from government influence. Such an impression defeats
government efforts to improve the reputation of the judiciary
for fairness. Adeishvili said that he had personally opposed
the grant of property to the judges, but had lost the
argument within the government. He said the government has a
statutory obligation to provide housing benefits for sitting
judges, and this was the manner in which the government
decided to fulfill it. He would have preferred to see a cash
grant to the judges to meet their housing needs. He
suggested that it would be better for the Embassy to raise
the issue with the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Kote
Kublashvili, because, according to Adeishvili, it was the
judge's organization that had made the decision to transfer
the property to individual judges after taking title to it.
We intend to raise the issue with Kublashvili at the next
opportunity.
PERRY