The United States bans four Georgian judges from entering its territory on charges of corruption

Madrid, 6 (Europe Press)

In a statement, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, confirmed that “these individuals have abused their positions as heads and members of the Supreme Judicial Council, undermining the rule of law and people’s faith in the judicial system in Georgia.”

The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that there is no time limit for this ban on entry into the country, and identifies the sanctioned judges as Miguel Chinchaladze, Levan Morosizi, Irakli Shengelia and Valerian Tsertsazi.

Following the announcement, the US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, confirmed the sanctions measures, noting that they were imposed in pursuit of the country’s rapprochement with the European Union and the United States.

A week ago, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, announced the opening of an anti-corruption office at the request of the European Union following his country’s request to join the community bloc.

The Georgian president emphasized that with this inauguration, the government seeks to “strengthen the anti-corruption mechanism” in the country as it addresses the list of recommendations made by the European Union so that Georgia meets the necessary European criteria for its accession.