Navigation

Chairmen of the Supreme Court

David Kheltuplishvili

On May 26, 1918, the National Council of Georgia announced the country’s independence in Tbilisi, established Democratic Republic of Georgia and adopted the “Declaration of Independence of Georgia”.
One year later after the announcement the country’s independence (from 1919), within the two years of its’ independence the Supreme Court was headed by Davit Kheltuflishvili.
In 1921, the Soviet Army occupied the territory of Democratic Republic of Georgia. They occupied Tbilisi and established the Soviet power.
Davit Kheltuplishvili became the victim of Bolshevik regime and was sentenced to death by firing squad. Unfortunately, his biographical data can’t be obtained.

Galaktion Vashadze

Galaktion Vashadze was born in a family of a poor peasant in Chiatura, Shorapani District in 1880. He studied at Kutaisi Theological Seminary. He entered the Commercial Courses of Petersburg in 1906. He was engaged in Revolutionary activities and after establishing the Soviet power in Georgia started to work at various positions. He was the Chairman of Supreme Court in 1921-1923. In 1938 he became a victim of Bolshevik-Totalitarian regime.

Konstantine Tsintsadze

Konstantine Tsintsadze was born in a family of a poor peasant in Lanchkhuti District in 1886. After getting primary education he was involved in labor activities. He actively participated in revolutionary events. He worked at various positions from 1921. In 1922-1924 he was a responsible officer of the Security Committee and then in 1924-1926 - a chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia. In 1927 he became a victim of Bolshevik-Totalitarian regime – he was exiled first to Bakhchisarai, then to Yalta where he died in 1931.

Alexander Kacharava

Alexander Kacharava was born in a family of a poor peasant in 1896 in the village Abasha. Because of the lack of money he had to quit studies and look for a job first in Poti, Kutaisi and then finally in Baku at oil-producing sites. In 1925 he was summoned to military service. He was actively involved in revolutionary activities in Stavropol, but then he returned to Georgia in 1921 and worked at various positions. During 1923-1926 he was a Chairman of the District Court of East Georgia. In 1926-1928 he was a Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Since 1928 he was a Public Commissioner of agriculture, then a manager of the trust Sakchai (Georgian Tea), and in 1936-1937 – deputy public commission of food industry. He died in 1937 due to the repressions of Bolshevik-Totalitarian regime.

Ilarion Talakhadze

Ilarion Talakhadze was born in a family of a poor peasant in 1894 in the village Chikha, Shorapani District. After the primary school he continued studies at Chiatura Civil School. In 1914 he was taken to the army where he stayed until 1917. In 1921, after establishing the Soviet power in Georgia he returned to his home country where he was appointed a Chairman of the Military-Revolutionary Tribunal. In 1921-1922 he was a commissioner of a military-maritime headquarters. From 1922 till 1924 he worked as a deputy commissioner of internal affairs. Since 1926 he was a prosecutor of east Georgia. In 1928-1931 he was the Chairman of the Supreme Court.

During the Second World War he worked as a prosecutor of the republic and it has to be mentioned that his performance on various important positions in Georgia has been assessed as negative.

Ivane Bolkvadze

Ivane Bolkvadze was born in the village Samgvto, Ozurgeti District in 1879. After finishing the primary school of the village, a 15-16 year old young man went to Batumi and started working at a publishing house as an apprentice. In 1899 he went to Tbilisi and started working at Lieberman Publishing House. He was actively involved in revolutionary activities. After establishing the Soviet power in Georgia he worked at various party-related positions. He was a Chairman of the Supreme Court during 1931-1937. He died in 1938 as a result of the repressions of Bolshevik-Totalitarian regime.

Mikheil Isakadze

Mikheil Isakadze was born in a family of a poor peasant in the village Mukhli, Ambrolauri district in 1896. He finished a local primary school and then was engaged in various activities. He was in the army during 1918-1919. He studied in Moscow In 1921-1922, at the courses arranged by the Public Commissariat of Internal Affairs. After graduation he worked at various positions. He was a Chairman of the Supreme Court in 1937-1938. He died in 1970.

Akaki Javakhia

Akaki Javakhia was born in the village Nokalakevi, Senaki district in 1901. In 1914 he finished a two-grade school of the village, and then continued studies at the central school of the party of Tbilisi. In 1942 he finished the Tbilisi branch of the Institute of Law of the Soviet Union. In 1926-1933 he worked as a lawyer in various districts of Georgia. During 1934-1937 he was a member of the Supreme Court, and from 1937 till 1938 he was the deputy public commissioner of Justice of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia. In 1938 he was elected the chairman of the Supreme Court. He worked on this position till 1949. He died in 1972.

Mikheil Lomidze

Mikheil Lomidze was born in the village Lichi, Sachkhere district in 1899. In 1911 he finished the primary school of the village, then the secondary school of Chiatura and started to work as a teacher at a primary school. In 1919 he graduated from the pedagogical courses and got the degree of a public teacher. During 1920-1921 he was in the army, and then worked on the positions related to the party. During 1938-1941 he was a member of the Supreme Court. He was the Chairman of the Military Tribunal of Caucasus in 1941-1942, and then worked as a military prosecutor in 1942-1949. He was elected the Chairman of the Supreme Court twice: in 1949-1951 and 1957-1959. During 1952-1953 he worked as a prosecutor of the Republic of Georgia, then he became a Deputy Minister of Justice in 1953 and then the Minister of Justice in 1955. He died in 1977.

Boris Purtskhvanidze

Boris Purtskhvanidze was born in Kutaisi in 1901. After getting primary education in 1923 he entered the Tbilisi State University, the Faculty of Law that he graduated from in 1927. He worked at various positions. He was within the bodies of the Prosecutor’s Office since 1944. In 1947 he was appointed the first deputy of the prosecutor of the republic. In 1952 he was elected a Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia till 1954. At the same time he worked at Tbilisi State University, the faculty of Law, first as an assistant professor, then as a professor. He was the head of the Chair of the Criminal Law, he was an LL.D, has published many researches and monographs. He died in 1984.

Isidore Dolidze

Isidore Dolidze was born in a family of a poor peasant in the village Meria, Ozurgeti District in 1915. He finished school of the village Meria in 1930 and then graduated from the Batumi Building College in 1933. He was recommended to continue studies at the State University as a distinguished student. He studied at Tbilisi University, Faculty of Law till 1936 when he was sent to Moscow to continue studies at the Institute of Law. After that he moved to the Institute of Law in Sverdlovsk City that he finished in 1938. During the same period he was enrolled at the post-graduate courses of Moscow Institute of Legal Sciences and defended the PhD thesis there. He delivered lectures in the state history and the history of law at the Academy of Law of the Soviet Union. After the second world war he returned to Georgia and continued working at Tbilisi State University. He was a Chairman of the Supreme Court during 1954-1957.

Mikheil Vepkhvadze

Mikheil Vepkhvadze was born in the village Savane, Chiatura District in 1923. After finishing the secondary school in Argveta, Sachkhere district in 1941, he started to work. From 1942 to 1944 he was in the army. In 1947 he entered Tbilisi State University, the faculty of law. He worked on various positions since 1952, he was a prosecutor of Tbilisi City. He was elected the chairman of the Supreme Court in 1959 where he worked till 1961. After creation of the Ministry of Justice of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia, in 1971 he was appointed the Head of the Department for Legal Activities in Public Field. He was an LL.D, and has published many scientific researches. He died in 1974.

Emen Takidze

Emen Takidze was born in the Village Magali Jumati, Ozurgeti District in 1910. After getting primary education he started to work. During 1936-1941 he studied at Moscow Institute of Law. In 1935 he started to work as a judge of Ozurgeti District, and became a prosecutor of this district in 1937. Since then he was involved in the activities of the Party. In 1955 he was appointed the first deputy of the Minister of Justice of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia. He was a Chairman of the Supreme Court during 1961-1962.

Vladimer Maisuradze

Vladimer Maisuradze was born in the village Khashmi in Sagarejo district in 1923. He graduated school #5 of Tbilisi Railway in 1941. He was taken to the army – participated in the Second World War. After demobilization he entered Tbilisi State University, faculty of law in 1943. In 1947 he took post-graduate courses which he finished in Moscow in 1951 and defended his dissertation thesis there for getting the LL.D. degree. He was teaching at Tbilisi University. In 1962 he was elected the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia and remained on this position for 8 years. In 1970 he was appointed the Minister of Justice of Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia. He was a head of the State Arbitration since 1976, he died in 1986.

Sergo Kajaia

Sergo Kajaia was born in Batumi in 1908. He finished a secondary school of the village Jageli, Samtredia district in 1925. He entered Tbilisi State University, faculty of law in 1927 and graduated from it in 1931. He was a member of the Supreme Court since 1928. In 1941 he was taken to the army where he stayed till 1946 – he worked on the position of the Chairman of the Military Tribunal of a division. In 1946 he was appointed a prosecutor of the investigation department of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic, but was moved to Tbilisi as a Deputy Prosecutor in 1948. He was elected the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court in 1957, and he was then elected the Chairman in 1970. In 1972 he was transferred to work to the Presidium of the High Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia. He died in 1988.

Akaki Karanadze

Akaki Karanadze was born in Dusheti in 1927. He finished a secondary school in 1945 and left for Moscow for continuing his education in 1945. He graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1950. He started working at Tbilisi State University, State Law Department in 1958. During 1971-1984 he was an assistant professor at the same department. He was a Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Georgia during 18 years since 1972. Restoration-reconstruction of the building of the Supreme Court and converting it to the Palace of Justice is related to Akaki Karanadze’s name. In 1990 he returned to the State University. He had an LL.D degree, has written more than 40 scientific works, among them – 3 monographs. He died in 1992.

Mindia Ugrekhelidze

Mindia Ugrekhelidze was born in Kutaisi on May 19, 1942. He finished school #1 of Kutaisi with distinctions in 1958, and then graduated from Tbilisi State University, faculty of law in 1963.

During 1963-1976 he was a junior research fellow at the Economics and Law Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia. He became an LL.D in 1974;

Since 1975 he has been an Assistant Professor of the Criminal Law Chair at Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University, he conducts a course of lectures on the problems of criminal law, criminology, law policy, international criminal law and modeling the national legislation.
In 1983 he was appointed the deputy manager of the Science and Educational Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia.

He was a vice-rector of the Technical University of Georgia since 1986. During 1988-1990 he was an editor-in-chief of the newspaper The Komunisti (The Communist), and then from November 14, 1990 - the newspaper The Akhali Sakartvelo (The New Georgia) and The Sakartvelos Respublika (The Republic of Georgia) till its reorganization.
On October 28, 1990 he was elected the member of the Supreme Council of Georgia, and then – Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia on December 27, 1990.

He has published about 70 works, among them 3 monographs in Georgia and abroad, in Georgian and other foreign languages.
He is a member of the International Association of Judges and the International Association of Criminal Law.
As a head of the working group for the Judicial Reform of the State Constitutional Commission and the Chairman of the Governmental Commission of Judicial Reform, he participates in elaboration of new legislation of Georgia; he is a co-author of the theoretical model of the Criminal Code of Russia.

His authorities were terminated based on the Decree of June 25 of the Parliament of Georgia due to being elected the judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

Lado Chanturia

Lado Chanturia was born in Jvari, Tsalenjikha district on April 14, 1963. In 1980 he finished the secondary school #1 of Jvari and the same year he entered the Tbilisi State University, faculty of law. He graduated from the university with distinctions in 1985.

During 1986-1989 he took post-graduate courses at Moscow Scientific-Research Institute of Soviet Legislation, where he defended his PhD thesis in 1989.

In 1991-1993 he did a scientific internship at Gottingen University, faculty of law as an exchange student of the Service of Academic Exchange of Germany. He also completed his doctoral dissertation and defended it in 1994.

From 1985 to 1995 he worked a department assistant, assistant and then the assistant professor at the Chair of Civil Law at Tbilisi State University. He has been a professor at the same Chair since 1995 until now.
Since 1992 he has participated in elaboration of the legislation of Georgia after regaining the independence, and he has made significant contributions in development of the Civil Code and other laws of private legislation.
From 1993 will 1996 he was an advisor to the Minister of Justice of Georgia.

He was a member of the Council of Justice of Georgia since September, 1997.

During 1998-1999 he was a Minister of Justice of Georgia.

He was a Chairman of the Supreme Court during 1999-2004

In 1996 he was invited by Max Planck Society to work in Hamburg at the Institute for foreign Private and Private International Law.

During 1992-1995, as a member of a State Commission for Elaboration of the Constitution of Georgia, he participated in development of the Constitution of Georgia. During 1991-1996 he was involved in the group of editors and participated in development of the Civil Code of Georgia. During 1993-1994 he was a co-writer of the Law on Entrepreneurs.
During 1993-1996 he was a coordinator of German Society for Technical Cooperation. Many draft laws have been elaborated in cooperation with German colleagues within the frameworks of this project, which aimed at reforming the private law in Georgia. Since 1996 he has been an expert of the German Society for Technical Cooperation on the issues of the reforms of private law in the countries of transition economy.

Since 2000 he has chaired the group for elaboration of an anti-corruption program.

During 2001-2003 he was a chairman of the interagency commission for reforming the security and law enforcing bodies of Georgia.

In 2003 he received a scientific fellowship of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
He is the author of more than sixty scientific works many of which are published abroad. Together with Georgian and international colleagues he has organized and participated in many international scientific conferences (among them the 7th annual conference of Chairmen of the Supreme Courts of European Countries, held in Tbilisi). He is an editor and co-author to many collections of scientific works.

He is married with two children.

Konstantine Kemularia

Konstantine Kemularia was born on April 4, 1954. He graduated from Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University, faculty of law in 1975. He is married with three children.

He has defended his dissertation thesis on the topic: Analogy in the Criminal Proceedings /Moscow, 1985/. He is the author of 14 scientific works and 1 monograph. He was an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Russian Federation in 2004.

1999-2004 - member of the Parliament of Georgia.
1995-1998 - member of Tbilisi Sakrebulo, and the head of the Commission on Legal Issues.
1995-1998 - founder and a director general of the independent law company Iniurservice in Tbilisi;
1993-1995 - director general of the independent law company Iniurservice in Moscow;
1992 -1993 - Minister of Justice;
1991-1992 - head of the Department of the Prosecutor General, a Panel Member;
1989-1991 - prosecutor of Chiatura.
1988-1989 ¬ - prosecutor of the department of the Prosecutor General of Georgia;
1983-1988 – senior scientific researcher at the Law Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia, Assistant Professor of Tbilisi State University.
1980-1983 – Post graduate courses at the Moscow Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union.
1980 – Scientific worker at the Institute of Law of the Academy of Sciences.
1876-1980 – Chief investigator at the Prosecutor’s Office of Kutaisi.
1975-1976 - Investigator at the Prosecutor’s Office of Sokhumi.

Based on the Decree of February 17, 2005 of the Parliament of Georgia, his authorities were terminated before expiration of his term in office.

Konstantine Kublashvili

Born on March 30, 1973 in Tkibuli, Georgia

July 1995 - graduated from the Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State Universiry, Georgia, the faculty of International Law and International Relations, specialty of International Law;

April – September 1995 - studied at Legal Faculty of Saarland University, Germany, graduation thesis: The principles of German Federalism.
September – December 1995 – the Lawyer at the Central Election Commission;

1996 – 1997 – Chief Specialist of the Law-Drafting Coordination Group of the Legal Department of the Parliament of Georgia;
1997 – 1998 – Head of the Office of Legal Expertise and Alignment of Bills of the Legal Department of the Parliament of Georgia;
1998 – 2000 – Post-Graduate Studies at the University of Hannover, Germany; acquired scientific degree of LL.D;
2000 – the Member of the Council of Justice of Georgia;
2000 – 2002 – the First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia; the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Justice;
2002 – 2004 – Lawyer at the law company “Georgian Lawyers for Justice”;

2004 – 2005 – the Member of the Supervisory Board of the President’s Development and Reforms Foundation; Later – the Director of the Foundation;

Since February, 2005 – the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia;

The author of the numerous scientific works, publications, textbooks on the issues of the states’ territorial arrangement and basic human rights;
Married, one daughter.

Language proficiency: Georgian (native), German (fluent), Russian (fluent), English (good), Spanish (intermediate).

On February 23, 2015 expired his term in office.

Nino Gvenetadze

born in Khashuri on January 27, 1964.

2015 –2018 - Chairperson of the Supreme Court of Georgia, chairperson of the Chamber of Criminal Cases;

2012-2014 - EU project “PROLoG”, expert in “Juvenile Justice Reform”

2012-2011 - Open Society Georgia Foundation (OSGF), expert in “Juvenile Justice Reform”;

2011-2014 - Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Foreign and International Criminal Law, scientific scholar and Georgian expert in the project “Development of Criminal Law Policy and Rule of Law in Transitional Justice”;

2012- Present member of the interagency committee on reforms of criminal and juvenile justice;

2010-2012 - expert of the Georgian Bar Association Criminal Law Committee;

1999-2006 - member of the Supreme Court of Georgia; judge of the Chamber of Criminal Cases;

1994-1999 - different positions at the Ministry of Justice of Georgia: chief consultant of the immigration and citizenship department; head of legislative proposals department; deputy head of public law division; deputy head of harmonization of justice and legal texts assessment department;

1994-2001 - member of the committee drafting a new Criminal Code within the State Commission for Legal Reform;

1998-1999 - chairperson of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association;

2004-Present - board member of the foundation for the Support of Legal Education at the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and lecturer of Criminal Law;

2007-2015 - Professor of the School of Law, Social Science and Diplomacy of Georgian-American University, Master’s and PhD Supervisor

1999-2008 - Associate Professor at the Criminal Law and Criminology department of Tbilisi State University Faculty of Law;

1990-1993 - post-graduate student of the Criminal Law faculty of the Institute of State and Law of the Georgian Academy of Sciences;

1985-1990 - diploma with honors of Tbilisi Iv.Javakhishvili State University, faculty of Law, major in Jurisprudence; 1995 - Doctor of Law

Nino Gvenetadze is an author of numerous scientific and research publications

May 2024