750,000 lari bribe and other new allegations against jailed former Georgian PM who turned against the government
Charges against former Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili
New charges have been brought against former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili for accepting a large bribe. The charges came shortly after he published open letters accusing the government of persecuting him to prevent his return to politics.
Garibashvili is already serving a five-year sentence for legalising illicit income. The new charges carry a prison sentence of between 11 and 15 years.
🟥 According to the prosecution, then-defence minister Juansher Burchuladze, who is now in prison, illegally transferred 750,000 lari (about $290,000) to Garibashvili in cash in several instalments.
What does the prosecution accuse Garibashvili of?
The case concerns the purchase of medical equipment and supplies for the Defence Ministry. According to the prosecution, the ministry conducted three secret procurement procedures from late 2022 onwards.
At the time, Juansher Burchuladze served as defence minister, while Irakli Garibashvili was prime minister.
According to investigators, Burchuladze and his relative, Vasil Mcheidze, reached an agreement with a local business and offered it an opportunity to take part in government tenders. With their help, the business was supposed to win the tenders and then pay them 10% of the total contract value.
The businessman demanded additional guarantees.
According to the prosecution, Burchuladze then reached an agreement with Irakli Garibashvili, who was serving as prime minister.
Investigators accuse the former prime minister of protecting the scheme and demanding his share of the proceeds.
According to the indictment, deputy defence minister Giorgi Khaindrava and procurement department head Vladimir Gudushauri then created non-competitive conditions. This allowed selected companies to win the tenders at predetermined prices.
The prosecution says the companies supplied the ministry with goods worth 18,484,960 lari (about $7.5 million). However, the actual value of the goods was 11,499,705 lari (about $4.5 million).
The prosecution estimates the damage to the state at 6,985,255 lari (about $2.6 million).
How was the 1.9 million lari divided?
According to the investigation, the businessman ultimately transferred 1.9 million lari (about $730,000) to Vasil Mcheidze in several instalments. The amount represented roughly 10% of the total value of the contracts.
- Vasil Mcheidze kept 400,000 lari (about $155,000);
- he transferred 1.5 million lari (about $580,000) to Juansher Burchuladze;
- Burchuladze kept 750,000 lari (about $290,000);
- he transferred the remaining 750,000 lari (about $290,000) to Irakli Garibashvili.
Prosecutors have charged the former prime minister under Article 338 of the Criminal Code. The article covers accepting a particularly large bribe by a public or political official as part of a group.
At this stage, the prosecution is asking the court to schedule a preliminary hearing. It is not seeking a new pre-trial measure because Garibashvili is already in custody.
Who gave investigators new testimony?
According to the prosecution, Vasil Mcheidze decided to cooperate with investigators on 12 August. He provided the authorities with information in his possession.
Juansher Burchuladze is also cooperating with the investigation. The prosecution is relying on their testimony to establish Garibashvili’s role in the new case.
Burchuladze was arrested in September 2025. On 23 April 2026, a court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for abuse of power and legalising illicit income.
Burchuladze’s former deputy, Giorgi Khaindrava, and Vasil Mcheidze each received eight-year prison sentences in the same case. Gudushauri reached a plea agreement with the prosecution.
Why does the timing of the new charges against Garibashvili matter?
Just days before prosecutors brought the new charges, Garibashvili made three statements from prison. They were published on 17, 18 and 20 August.
The former prime minister said the ruling party was demanding that he admit to additional acts of corruption. He said the government feared his return to politics.
Garibashvili also said he had received a letter from prominent Georgian Dream representative Mamuka Mdinaradze. According to Garibashvili, a close friend of Mdinaradze delivered the letter to a member of his family.
“You sent me to prison for five years because of false assumptions, fantasies, envy, fears and suspicions created by a certain group within the party,” Garibashvili wrote.
He said the demand that he admit to the new allegations came with a hint that authorities could arrest his father.
“I am not fighting anyone. I am only defending myself and my family. That is why I will have no choice but to respond in kind to everything you do,” Garibashvili said.
The new charges have given the former prime minister’s statements added significance. However, his account has not been investigated or independently verified.
What does Georgian Dream say?
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze suggested that Garibashvili may have had information about the ongoing investigation. In his view, the former prime minister’s statements were pre-emptive.
“Former politicians often use this method, and legal issues are sometimes brought into the political sphere,” Kaladze said.
He said Garibashvili’s safety and rights were protected.
Mamuka Mdinaradze denies Garibashvili’s allegations. He considers the current case against the former prime minister part of the government’s fight against corruption.
Garibashvili family’s response
Garibashvili’s wife’s brother, Alexander Tamazashvili, published an extract from the public registry after prosecutors brought the new charges. He said the document showed a property transaction involving Zurab Tukvadze, a businessman and one of the prosecution’s witnesses.
The prosecution’s public statement does not name the businessman. However, Tamazashvili claims that Tukvadze transferred a country house in the Tskneti settlement to Vasil Mcheidze in 2023. Tamazashvili suggested that the property transfer amounted to a bribe.
The statement can also be seen as an ironic rebuttal of the allegations. However, the published property transaction neither proves nor disproves that anyone may have given cash to Garibashvili.
Garibashvili himself has not publicly responded to the details of the new charges.
Opposition raises two possible concerns
Opposition representatives have highlighted two issues in the case.
- The first is possible corruption in defence procurement.
- The second is the suspicion that the law may serve as a tool of political pressure.
Levan Samushia, a member of the opposition Strong Georgia – Lelo party, said Garibashvili’s earlier statements give grounds for such suspicions.
“Is the law not being used in this case to exert pressure based on clan interests? Otherwise, how could Garibashvili have known in advance that he might face charges?” Samushia said.
Zurab Japaridze, leader of Girchi – More Freedom, drew attention to the scheme described in the indictment. He linked Garibashvili’s alleged receipt of cash to his previous case.
“He artificially inflated the price, received his share in cash in lari, then exchanged it for dollars and gold and kept the bundles in a safe,” Japaridze wrote.
Garibashvili’s first case
Garibashvili first faced corruption charges in October 2025. Investigators accused him of legalising a particularly large amount of illicit income.
According to the prosecution, Garibashvili provided false information in his property declarations. In doing so, he allegedly attempted to give illegally obtained income a legitimate appearance.
In January 2026, Garibashvili pleaded guilty and reached a deal with the prosecution. The court sentenced him to five years in prison.
Garibashvili has not pleaded guilty in the new case. The main grounds for the charges are testimony from Burchuladze and Mcheidze. The court will have to assess the credibility of their statements, along with the other evidence.
The case now brings together two parallel questions.
- One concerns possible corruption in secret Defence Ministry procurement procedures.
- The other concerns Garibashvili’s claim that the government demanded that he admit guilt in advance.
Charges against former Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili
