Young Barrister have researched expenditures of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. According to the results of the monitoring, the Constitutional Court can be regarded as one of the most expensive and wasteful state institutions in Georgia.

Lasha Tsibadze, the lawyer with Young Barristers states, that monthly salaries as well as business trips, bonuses and salary increments of the President, Deputy Chairmen and the judges of the Constitutional Court of Georgia during the period of July 1, 2007 and June 1, 2015. The Constitutional Court has started in Batumi since July 2007. Accordingly, the state had determined relevant guarantees for the social securities of the judicial system. The attention of the organization was paid to the frequency and amount of bonuses, business trips and salary increments, rather than to the monthly salaries, paid to the judges mentioned above. The results of the monitoring leaves an impression, that in the name of implementing quality justice, the Constitutional Court turns out to be most expensive state agency financed from the state budget that taking into consideration existing social and economic environment in the country. As for the Head of the Constitutional Court, he turns out to be the second person after the President of the state in connection with the monthly salary paid to them.      

According to the monitoring prepared by Young Barristers, total amount of monthly salaries, bonuses, salary increments and business trips paid to Giorgi Papuashvili in each year are as follows: 56 925 GEL by January-June, 2015; 134 820 GEL in 2014;  204 675 GEL in 2013; 102 850 GEL in 2012; 98 025 GEL in 2011; 95 700 GEL in 2010; 97 015 GEL in 2009;  95 610,71 GEL in 2008 and 40 500 GEL in 2007.    Business trips costs of the President of the Constitutional Court of Georgia is also very interesting. His business trip costs by years are as follows: 18 249,46 GEL by January-June 2015, 69 607,62; GEL in 2014; 32 50045 GEL in 2013; 47 682,99 GEL in 2012; 44 007,24 GEL in 2011; 35 538,73 GEL in 2010; 50 118,55,  GEL in 2009; 52 073,68 GEL in 2008; 10 927,72 GEL in 2007.  Totally, 926,120,71 GEL was received by Giorgi Papuashvili  as monthly salary, bonus and salary increments from 2007 until the first half of 2015. The organization notes, that in the information delivered from the Constitutional Court of Georgia is not specified during which business trips were spent for astronomical sums.

Young Barristers has also researched amount of salaries, salary increments, bonuses and business trip costs received by deputy chairmen and the judges of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. The monitoring has also revealed, that their service costs are also very high. Konstantine Vardzelashvili, the Deputy Chairmen of the Constitutional Court of Georgia has received in total 679,620 GEL of salary, salary increment and bonus during July 1, 2007 and June 1, 2015 and the business trips costs for the same period has amounted in total 82,824.83 GEL. As for the another Deputy Chairman, Zaza Tavadze, by June 1, 2015, he has received 483,013,19 GEL in total as the salary, salary increments and bonuses and 18,867,69  GEL for business trips. On the ground of the monitoring, we may claim, that salaries, salary increments, bonuses and business trip costs of the members of the Constitutional court (secretary and judges) are also very high. Their Incomes ranges from 50 000 to 95 000 GEL during 2007-2015. However, it should be noted, that business trip costs of the members of the Constitutional Court is much lower, that that of the President’s and Deputy Chairmen’s.

Young Barristers urges, that the amount of salaries, salary increments, bonuses and business trip costs paid from the state budget to the Constitutional Court of Georgia is enormous and doesn’t correspond to the country’s social-economic development. It should be also taken into consideration, that within the judicial system in Georgia, at present, the Constitutional Court is least-loaded body in terms of receiving and discussing constitutional complaints and accordingly an issue of proportionality of those significant amounts, paid to the members of the Constitutional Court should be questioned. This agency should become more transparent. Young Barristers considers, that it is necessary to strengthen and broaden public monitoring instruments in order to monitor reasonableness of the expenditures spent by public services, funded from the state budget.