I have committed nothing that should have resulted in sanction, said the lifetime judge of the Court of Appeals, Levan Murusidze, remarking on the US imposing sanctions on four justices in Georgia.

Murusidze describes the accusation as “fabricated and baseless.” He sees the decision as an attempt to subordinate Georgian courts and justice to the US.

“There is a direct intervention in the court. They say if you behave and make decisions that do not match our interests, we will treat you like we did with Levan Murusidze. No one is interested in corruption. It is fabricated,” Murusidze said.

Valerian Tsertsvadze categorically denies the accusations, claiming that the sanction decision was based on utterly false and unsupported information.

“I have held none judicial or another state office post in six years. As a result, referring to me as a life judge is a deliberate fabrication. I want to be clear that there are no facts or proof to back up the allegations. I think statements made without rationale and violating the presumption of innocence have political significance. It’s unfortunate, but I believe this is done to gain influence in the court and thoroughly discredit it,” Valerian Tsertsvadze posted on Facebook.

The US imposed sanctions on Georgian judges Mikheil Chinchaladze, Levan Murusidze, Irakli Shengelia, and Valerian Tsertsvadze.