Former head of Georgia’s State Security Service arrested on corruption charges
Ex-Georgia security chief arrested
Former head of Georgia’s State Security Service, Grigol Liluashvili, has been arrested. Prosecutors accuse him of receiving a bribe of an especially large amount.
According to the office of the Prosecutor General, Liluashvili faces charges in four separate corruption cases. Authorities say the case involves schemes carried out by a group acting in prior collusion. The total value of the transactions amounts to millions of lari and dollars. If convicted, Liluashvili could face 11 to 15 years in prison.
According to the prosecution, one of the key episodes dates back to October 2022. Investigators say Liluashvili received a $1 million bribe from Turkish investor Çagatay Ülker. The prosecutors state the payment was routed through Romeo Mikautadze, then first deputy minister of the economy, and was intended to lobby for the signing of a memorandum on wind farm construction.
The second episode occurred in February of the same year. Prosecutors say Mikautadze also acted as an intermediary in this case. According to the charges, Giorgi Khajalia, founder of the company Express-Service 2008, paid Liluashvili 1.5 million lari in exchange for support in gasification tenders.
The third episode, spanning 2021–2023, involves fraudulent call centres operating in the country. Based on witness testimony, the prosecution claims that a significant portion of these call centres was owned by a group that financed various opposition media outlets from their revenues.
According to the same testimony, a smaller number of call centres were controlled by Grigol Liluashvili through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili. Investigators say Liluashvili earned about $1.36 million from this scheme.
The fourth episode involves the former director of the Agency for Managing Kindergartens under the Tbilisi City Hall, Kakho Gvantseladze. According to prosecutors, Liluashvili used his official position to protect Gvantseladze in exchange for a bribe.
Investigators say the agency head received so-called “kickbacks” when signing contracts related to kindergarten procurement, with staff from the agency’s finance and control departments also involved. Criminal proceedings have already been opened against them.
Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze said at a briefing that the charges against Liluashvili are based on Article 338 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which covers receiving a bribe of an especially large amount.
Gvarakidze added that the investigation is ongoing and said he does not rule out the possibility of uncovering new episodes and other potential participants in the case.
Ex-Georgia security chief arrested
