US Embassy Legal Office hosts "Ethics" Seminar
On April 24, 2009, the U.S. Embassy's Resident Legal Advisor Office and Georgian Prosecution Service conducted an "Ethics" seminar. The seminar was geared toward reviewing prosecutorial ethics in discovery and explaining new provisions of the draft Criminal Procedure Code which Parliament is considering for adoption by the end of 2009. The seminar took place at Signagi and included the 30 "train-the-trainer" prosecutors that have been selected as leaders within their respective prosecutor's offices throughout Georgia. Resident Legal Advisor Jared Kimball enabled the training and presented on rules governing ethical obligations of United States Attorneys. Three U.S. federal judges also presented at the seminar and participated in discussions regarding the judge's role in disallowing unethical behavior. In this regard, the U.S. judges shared practical experiences from their courts where ethical and discovery issues often arise. Additionally, the seminar included a presentation by the Georgian Prosecutor Service's Inspector General, who discussed examples of how Georgian prosecutors have been sanctioned and/or investigated for misconduct. Additional ethics sessions will be planned.