The draft law on changes to the Criminal Code of Practice has been considered with the second reading at the Committee sitting today. The initiator of the draft is the Government of Georgia and it was introduced at the Committee sitting by the Deputy-Minister of Justice, Alexander Baramidze.

According to the changes, the new criminal cases shall be added to the cases for consideration by the jury. Namely, it concerns the events, when the criminal cases are connected with the former or incumbent high officials and the persons, who are convicted in offences under the Article 2 of the Law on Incompatibility of Interests and Corruption in Public Service.

The Parliament will consider the draft law in the accelerated manner. The majority and minority revised the positions and it was adopted at the session with the first reading yesterday. Upon consideration by Articles, no essential remarks have been expressed and it was unanimously supported.

The procedural issues have as well been raised. They concern enactment of the norms in the introduced draft law, which concern to airing of the Court sittings by media means. As the Chairman of the Committee on Legal Issues, Vakhtang Khmaladze elucidated, the said norm cannot be enacted unless the similar changes are not adopted to the Organic Law on General Courts. But, the changes for adoption to the Organic Law on General Courts, concerning the airing of the Court sittings, have already been adopted at the autumn session with the first reading. The Committee members agreed that the said changes shall be considered separately by the Committee simultaneously with consideration of the changes to the Criminal Code of Practice. The Committee supported this proposal and it will be submitted to the Bureau.