General Charme Allen Welcomes Delegation from Republic of Georgia
Knox County officials recently welcomed a delegation of attorneys and judges from the Republic of Georgia, a country located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. The delegation was in Tennessee as part of the Rule of Law Program sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center. District Attorney General Charme P. Allen welcomed Georgian prosecutor Giorgi Mikava into her office on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 to discuss and compare the Georgian and American criminal justice systems. Mr. Mikava works in the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. Present at the meeting between General Allen and Mr. Mikava were Chief Deputy DA Sam Lee and Deputy DAs Bill Crabtree, Leland Price, and Kyle Hixson. Chief Deputy Lee Tramel of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office was also in attendance.
The Georgian delegation, which included judges, attorneys, and staff members from the Supreme Court of Georgia, spent the week touring multiple criminal justice facilities throughout Knox County. The delegation also witnessed a jury trial before Criminal Court Judge Steve W. Sword.
After the meeting Mr. Mikava said he felt it was a great opportunity to meet his colleagues from the Knox County District Attorney’s Office and to discuss several significant issues about prosecution. In his role as a prosecutor, Mr. Mikava mainly investigates systematic crimes of illegal deprivation of property, as well as torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment committed by public officials. He expressed his greatest appreciation towards General Allen for the opportunity to meet her and her team leaders. He stated, “As many legal institutions in the Georgian Criminal Justice System are very similar to the U.S. model, I found our meeting very productive by sharing our practices. We addressed a number of significant issues such as evidence standards during the prosecution wherein public officials are indicted.” General Allen shared effective investigative tools and the role of prosecutors in the course of high profile criminal cases.
Additionally, Mr. Mikava informed General Allen about ongoing and popular projects in the course of “Public Prosecution,” which aim to enhance the public trust and reputation of the Prosecutor’s Office in the Georgian society. At the same time, General Allen shared the best practices and projects with respect to the cooperation of the Knox County District Attorney’s Office with our local community and youth. Mr. Mikava concluded by saying that “the trip of the Georgian delegation to Knoxville and his personal meeting with General Allen was fruitful, productive, and informative,” with an orientation towards future cooperation.
“The Republic of Georgia has made extraordinary strides in building their criminal justice system to protect the rule of law and to provide an orderly process for the administration of justice,” said DA Allen. “I was honored to welcome Mr. Mikava into my office and learn about this exciting transformation in Georgian criminal justice.”