Ex-Georgian PM Irakli Gharibashvili sentenced to five years in jail

Tbilisi

Ex-Georgian PM Gharibashbili jailed

Former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili has been detained after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, under which he was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of large-scale money laundering under Article 194, Part 3 of the Criminal Code.

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has concluded a procedural agreement with former prime minister Irakli Gharibashvili, under which he has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

“In addition, a fine of one million lari (about $370 000) has been imposed on him as an additional punishment. Funds obtained as a result of criminal activity and seized during a search of his residence will also be confiscated in favour of the state.

Irakli Gharibashvili admits to the committed offence and agrees with the terms of the procedural agreement. The court has already granted the prosecution’s motion regarding the procedural agreement,” the statement said.

It has been established that Irakli Gharibashvili, who held the posts of defence minister and prime minister of Georgia between 2019 and 2024, secretly engaged in various types of entrepreneurial activity and received illegal income from them on an especially large scale.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Gharibashvili, with the aim of legalising illegal income, provided false information in his tax declaration, claiming that he had received large sums of money as a gift from a family member.

$7 million, luxury goods and watches: Georgia’s security service on raids of former senior officials

Searches were carried out in 24 homes belonging to former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili, former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, and eight individuals linked to them

Unsubstantiated assets and seized funds

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, in order to legalise unsubstantiated assets in 2023–2024, Gharibashvili:

purchased and registered in the name of a relative two vehicles with a total value of 463,630 lari (about $171,000);
acquired, through a family member, 100% of a company’s shares for 210,000 lari (about $77,000);
invested 3,670,172 lari (about $1.35 million) in an LLC registered in the name of a family member.

Ex-Georgian PM Garibashbili jailed

Ex-Georgian PM Gharibashbili jailed