On April 22, Georgian Court Watch reported that on April 17, the High Council of Justice (HCoJ) made a decision that all judges of first and second instance courts will receive 100% of their official salaries as a supplement along with their current monthly supplement. In total, more than over GEL 1.3 million (approximately USD 487,000) will be spent on all additional supplements.
The judicial watchdog notes that the remuneration of the judges of the HCoJ is consists of their fixed salaries established by Article 69 of the Organic Law of Georgia “On Common Courts” and the supplements decided by the High Council of Justice. “It should be noted that the amount of supplements and the criteria for their determination are not established by any law or other normative act, which means that the HCoJ may grant any amount of allowances to judges,” – emphasizes the organization.
The Georgian Court Watch stresses that “the lack of transparency in the rules governing judges’ salaries gives the HCoJ wide discretionary powers, which in turn increases the risk of influence peddling.”
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