President of Georgia in her first parliamentary report spoke about pardoning and appointment of judges. The President noted that in the process of pardoning, personal, social, religious or political interference can not be taken into account.Salome Zourabichvili criticized her predecessor`s pardoning policy.
"The pardoning, judicial system and challenges associated with the creation of the National Security Council are the issues that today are of great interest to the public.
" The pardoning practice, which existed under the previous Presidents, was sometimes more like an amnesty than the conception that is based on the discretion of the president .
"Amnesty is a completely different legal form based on general criteria, which includes a wide range of persons who are free from penalty. The discretionary right of the president is not a substitute for early release and a mechanism for correcting shortcomings of the court. The selection of a personal case, where the advantages are accorded to human principles, strict adherence to these principles means that the number of pardon transactions will be significantly reduced, and it will also reduce the risks to the community that have always accompanied mass pardoning .
"The pardoning commission will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice, which will include the representatives of various administrative bodies, the commission will discuss the statements that will satisfy the new criteria and prepare relevant recommendations and the final decision remains the president"s prerogative. Personal, social, religious or political interference can not be taken into account. Pardoning also excluded providing explanations to the public or specific people about the basis for giving or denial of pardon in any particular case, "said Salome Zourabichvili.