Statements

On October 8, 2026, the Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the decisions of the courts of first instance and appellate jurisdictions, declaring Maia Cholokhashvili's dismissal from LEPL[1] "National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia" unlawful and ordering the defendant to pay compensation and back pay for forced idle time.

On November 25, 2021, after Tea Tsulukiani was appointed Minister of Culture, the LEPL "National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia" launched a reorganization with the stated purpose of confirming staff competence. Notably, to verify employees' competence, the Agency scheduled tests in general skills and mathematics. The test did not include professional questions, nor did it set a minimum threshold to establish competence.

Maia Cholokhashvili passed both the testing and interview stages, and she signed a new employment contract. However, 9 months later, the Minister decided to launch a new wave of personnel purging and initiated another reorganization. On January 15, 2022, despite passing the testing and interview in the first stage of the reorganization, Maia Cholokhashvili was dismissed from her job. The grounds cited were that her competence did not match the position she held.

Notably, field professionals were not present at the interviews during either reorganization. Instead, individuals who were not field representatives served on the commission as experts. These were predominantly lawyers who asked generic questions irrelevant to the plaintiff's professional activities. Furthermore, the interviews were not audio- or video-recorded.

Maia Cholokhashvili has been employed at the Agency since 2011, initially in the Archaeology Service, and, following the reorganization, was transferred to the Service of Museums, Museum-Reserves, and Educational Programs. She prepared editions, publications, and guidebooks, worked on articles, and carried out other responsibilities. Her work was essential to the Agency's proper functioning and promotion. Her performance consistently received positive evaluations, and she was a respected employee; however, the new management found her undesirable and dismissed her without justification. The stated reason for her dismissal was that her qualifications did not match the position, despite her more than 10 years of service at the Agency.

Maia Cholokhashvili took legal action to protect her labor rights. In 2025–2026, the Tbilisi City Court and, subsequently, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals declared Cholokhashvili’s dismissal from LEPL "National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia" unlawful and ordered the defendant to reimburse back pay for forced idle time and compensation. On October 8, 2026, the Supreme Court also upheld the plaintiff's position and sustained the lower courts' rulings.

ISFED continues to protect citizens' interests in labor disputes in order to ensure a fair and non-discriminatory working environment. If you believe that you have been dismissed from your job on political or other discriminatory grounds, please contact us at: info@isfed.ge

 

 

 

[1] Legal Entity of Public Law