Head of the Georgian Constitutional Court Zaza Tavadze, who is on the 20 person list presented to the Parliament for a lifetime appointment as a judge on the Georgian Supreme Court, has withdrawn his candidacy, citing controversies related to his higher education.

Tavadze appealed to the Head of the Parliament Archil Talakvadze on November 22 to postpone the presentation of his candidacy before the Parliament’s plenary meeting as questions arose regarding his Master’s degree in law, which is mandatory for a Supreme Court judge.

In the letter Zaza Tavadze said that that he has an education degree equal to a Master’s degree, which was also acknowledged by the High Council of Justice, the independent body which selected candidates for the Supreme Court judge.

However, Tavadze said that he needed time to prove this “as the existence of any questions around my qualification is unacceptable for me.”

In the letter released today Tavadze said that his November 22 letter triggered additional controversies.

“The reputation of the court is of top importance for me. The existence of any question, even an unfounded question [around the qualification of a judge] must be removed, that is why I decided to remove my candidacy.

In order to dispel the question marks around this issue, I refuse to participate in the ongoing competition for the position of Supreme Court Judge.

We would also like to inform you that this letter will also be materially submitted to the Chancellery of the Parliament of Georgia”, - reads the letter addressed to the Speaker of Parliament.