Former Georgian prosecutor-general accused of orchestrating contract killing
Ex-Georgian prosecutor-general accused of murder
Georgia’s Interior Ministry has named former prosecutor-general Otar Partskhaladze as the organiser of the killing of the brother of a so-called “thief-in-law”, businessman Levan Jangveladze, and said the case has been fully solved.
The announcement was made on 29 December by Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze.
Levan Jangveladze was shot dead on 15 March 2025 in central Tbilisi.
According to the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General’s Office has already issued a decision to charge Otar Romanovich Partskhaladze as an accused person.
Investigators’ version
According to the Interior Ministry, the premeditated killing of Levan Jangveladze was orchestrated by Otar Partskhaladze, described as the “undisputed leader” of an organised criminal group.
Acting on his instructions, businessmen and criminal figures Davit and Giorgi Mikadze contacted their friend and confidant, another criminal authority, Giorgi Jokhadze. He then shared the murder plot with his former bodyguard, Gela Udzilauri.
The group obtained information about the exact time of Levan Jangveladze’s arrival in Georgia and the route of his movements.
Levan Jangveladze was killed late in the evening of 15 March on one of Tbilisi’s central avenues.
On 17 March, Gela Udzilauri was arrested.
On 12 August, the Interior Ministry detained three more people, including businessman Giorgi Mikadze. His brother, Davit Mikadze, and another individual were charged in absentia.
On 24 October, Udzilauri was sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the deputy interior minister, the organiser of the killing was former prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze. A criminal case has been opened against him under an article that предусматривает a prison sentence of 16 to 20 years or life imprisonment.
Prosecutors are seeking his detention as a preventive measure. Partskhaladze will be placed on an international wanted list.
Who is Otar Partskhaladze?
Former Georgian prosecutor-general Otar Partskhaladze now uses the surname Partskhaladze-Romanov. He is under personal sanctions imposed by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Over the past three years, Partskhaladze has been living in Russia, having obtained Russian citizenship and changed his surname to “Romanov”.
According to the US State Department, sanctions were imposed on Partskhaladze “in response to Russia’s malign influence in Georgia”. The department says he co-owned a business with Aleksandr Onishchenko, an officer of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
It is believed that Onishchenko helped Partskhaladze obtain Russian citizenship.
As for the surname, since at least 2024 Partskhaladze has claimed affiliation with the Romanov imperial family. According to his friend Mamuka Pipia, this is linked to the “discovery of historical roots”.
Mamuka Pipia heads the pro-Russian party Solidarity for Peace and has publicly confirmed contacts with representatives of the Russian government.
Partskhaladze and Georgian Dream
When the United States imposed sanctions on Otar Partskhaladze and froze his assets, the Georgian government said the move contradicted Georgia’s constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Irakli Kobakhidze, who was then chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, repeatedly argued that the sanctions violated the principle of the presumption of innocence and set an unacceptable legal precedent. In his view, the automatic enforcement of international sanctions against Georgian citizens without a court ruling was unacceptable.
In September 2023, Georgian banks froze Partskhaladze’s accounts, as Georgia’s financial institutions have operated in line with US, EU and UK sanctions against Russia since 26 February 2022.
However, after Georgian Dream came out in his defence, the National Bank of Georgia issued a special order temporarily suspending the enforcement of the financial restrictions imposed on him.
Media reports said this allowed Otar Partskhaladze to retain his assets in Georgia and transfer them to other individuals.
Ex-Georgian prosecutor-general accused of murder
