Forner, controversial judge appointed as Georgia’s Ambassador to Switzerland

Former judge Shota Getsadze, a close associate of controversial judge Levan Murusidze, has been appointed as Georgia’s Ambassador to Switzerland, effective from April 1.

Getsadze has been serving as Georgia’s envoy to the country since 2023.

The appointment was formalized on March 21 this year, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze issued a decree nominating Getsadze for the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Confederation. The decree awaits final approval from President Mikheil Kavelashvili.

Kobakhidze also announced two other ambassadorial appointments.
Archil Kalandia, former Ambassador to China, has been appointed as Georgia’s new Ambassador to Turkey. Kalandia played a key role in securing the 2023 Georgia-China Strategic Partnership Declaration.

Grigol (Gigla) Baramidze, former Secretary General of Nino Burjanadze’s United Georgia – Democratic Movement party, has been named Ambassador to Cuba.

Before his diplomatic career, Getsadze was deeply involved in Georgia’s judiciary. He worked as a judge for 13 years, having entered the legal profession at the age of 21. In 2011, he presided over a politically charged case concerning the revocation of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian citizenship. Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and its honorary chair, lost his citizenship after acquiring French nationality, a decision upheld by Getsadze in a ruling that has since remained a point of controversy.

Getsadze has been accused by judicial watchdogs of being part of Georgia’s so-called “court clan,” a powerful network of judges allegedly influencing the judiciary from within. His ties to Levan Murusidze, a key figure in Georgia’s judicial system with a controversial past, have further fueled such claims.

In 2019, Getsadze sought a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court but failed to secure parliamentary approval. He had also aspired to become a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in 2017 but was reportedly rejected due to his lack of experience and young age.