The Parliament of Georgia decided to return the package of bills known as the “third wave of the judicial reforms” to the second reading on December 28. The package, drafted by the Ministry of Justice and made up of 8 bills, was passed with its first and second readings by the previous Parliament, but its approval with final reading has been delayed.

Deputy Justice Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze accepted the proposal of the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GDDG) to return the bill on the condition that the Parliament discusses the bills speedily. “We hope that the bill will be adopted already this year, since it exists as a draft for quite a while and a lot of important issues need to be implemented,” he said.

GDDG lawmakers cited the need for an in-depth analysis as the reason behind the bill’s return to the second reading, which would be impossible during the third reading, when changes can only be made to the bill’s wording.

“The new parliament should adopt this package and this parliament should assume the responsibility [for it],” GDDG MP Eka Beselia, who chairs the Parliamentary Legal Issues Committee, said. “I think, if we work intensively, it is possible for the committee to discuss the bill with the second reading within the [parliament’s] ongoing special session.”

The legislative amendments will be discussed at the Parliament’s special session following the hearing in the Parliamentary Legal Issues Committee.

The package, drafted by the Ministry of Justice and made up of 8 bills, was initiated in July 2015. Among other issues, the package proposes introduction of electronic case assigning system that would provide for random case assignments to judges, minimizing the role of court chairpersons in the process, as well as new rules for the selecting the judges. According to the package of bills, the number of Supreme Court judges should be no less than 16.

The Parliament adopted the package with its first reading on February 19, 2016. It was passed with the second reading on April 27. Parliamentary committees prepared it for the third reading by early May, but it has been pending since then.

The return to the second reading means that, although no major changes will be made to the package, some corrections may still be introduced. The rule of electing court chairpersons remains disputed, but amendments are not ruled out to other provisions as well.