Konstantine Kemularia

Konstantine (Kote) Kemularia ( Georgian კონსტანტინე (კოტე) კემულარია ; born April 4, 1954 in Chobi , Mingrelia ) is a Georgian politician ( National Movement - Democrats ). The prosecutor was Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia from September 2004 to February 2005, and from February to December 2005 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of Georgia. Since December 22, 2005 he has been Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia.

Life

He graduated from the State University of Tbilisi in 1975 with a law degree and initially worked as a prosecutor in Sukhumi and Kutaisi . In 1979 he became an employee of the Georgian Academy of Sciences in Tbilisi , and in 1980 he moved to the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow . In 1983 he became head of the research department there. In 1987 he went back to Georgia, was a public prosecutor in Chiatura and chairman of the Georgian Public Prosecutor's Board.

After the coup against Zviad Gamsakhurdia , he became Georgia's Minister of Justice for one year in 1992. Then he went to Moscow , where he worked in the law firm Injurconsulting . In 1995 he founded the law firm Injurservice in Tbilisi.

In 1998 he was elected to the Tbilisi City Council and chaired the Legal Committee. In October 1999 he became a member of parliament as an independent constituency candidate. He joined the Georgian Citizens' Union President Eduard Shevardnadze , where he was part of the reformer wing. On September 28, 2001, he and other radical reformers parted from the presidential faction.

In October 2001 he became chairman of the new opposition party, the National Movement, alongside Mikheil Saakashvili . On December 17, 2001, the newly formed parliamentary group Movement for Democratic Reforms elected him as its chairman. Although he became a key political figure and distinguished himself with legislative initiatives against corruption and early elections, he was always in the shadow of the extra-parliamentary Saakashvili, who was seen as the actual head of the opposition.

On February 5, 2004, Kemularia was appointed Georgian ambassador to Russia . His negotiations with the Russian government contributed to the replacement of the Ajarian ruler Aslan Abashidze in the spring . On June 25, 2004, Parliament elected him with 176 votes to one for ten years as Chairman of the Supreme Court. He took office on September 9th.

On February 17, 2005, he was elected Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of Georgia on the proposal of Prime Minister Zurab Noghaidelis . He initiated various reforms in the Georgian penal system . However, human rights organizations accused him of tolerating ill-treatment of sick prisoners and allowing corruption in prison health care. In December 2005 he was replaced by President Saakashvili.

On December 22, 2005, he became National Security Advisor to the Georgian President and Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia.

Kemularia is married and has three children. In addition to Georgian, he also speaks English and Russian.

Web links

• National Security Council of Georgia (en, ge)