Georgian minister quits politics shortly after ex-PM's accusations
Georgian minister quits politics
Georgia’s Regional Development Minister Mamuka Mdinaradze is stepping down from his post and leaving politics. He announced the decision at a briefing at the government administration, saying he wanted to devote more time to his family.
Until April 2026, Mamuka Mdinaradze served as head of the State Security Service. On 21 April, he was appointed deputy prime minister and state minister for the coordination of law enforcement agencies.
On 29 July, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Mdinaradze would take up the post of state minister for regional policy. The new position was due to be created in September, and until then Mdinaradze was appointed regional development minister.
Mdinaradze said his 10 years in politics had been marked by hard work, service to his country and cooperation with the team of the ruling Georgian Dream party. At the briefing, he thanked party members and leaders, including its founder and honorary chairman, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Mdinaradze said he had been considering leaving politics for the past several weeks and had made the decision on his own initiative before discussing it with Irakli Kobakhidze and Bidzina Ivanishvili. He said they initially disagreed with his decision, but he ultimately managed to convince both that it would be better for him.
Mdinaradze explained his decision to leave politics by saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. According to him, his children, aged nine and 13, had grown up with him largely absent.
The former minister stressed that his decision had not been prompted by any political or personal crisis. He also said there was no need for him to remain involved in regional development, as the ruling team had other leaders capable of overseeing the area.
Mdinaradze did not rule out returning to politics one day, but said he would do so only if necessary.
“I will return only if the team really needs me and there is no other option,” he said.
As for his future plans, Mdinaradze said he might try his hand in the private sector, including business, although he does not yet have any specific plans.
“Believe it or not, I haven’t thought about it. Perhaps I’ll try my hand in business,” Mdinaradze said.
Reflecting on his 10-year political career, Mdinaradze said its intensity and the level of responsibility had not been easy for him, and that he now wanted to focus on the part of his life that he had put on the back burner for years.
Mamuka Mdinaradze’s announcement that he was leaving politics came after his name was mentioned in connection with serious allegations made by former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Garibashvili, who is currently serving a prison sentence, alleged that he had been pressured “on Bidzina Ivanishvili’s orders”, with Mdinaradze acting as an intermediary, to confess to a corruption offence in order to prevent him from returning to politics in the future.
On 24 August, Garibashvili was charged with a new corruption offence. The charge carries a prison sentence of 11 to 15 years.
According to investigators, key testimony in the case was provided by former Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze, who has also been convicted of a corruption offence. According to his testimony, of the 1.5m lari (around $555,000)received as a bribe from businessman Zurab Tukvadze, who won a tender for the Gori Military Hospital, Burchuladze personally handed 750,000 lari (around $277,000) in cash to Irakli Garibashvili in several instalments.
Garibashvili denies the allegations. He says the demand that he admit guilt was politically motivated and intended to limit his ability to return to politics in the future. It was in this context that he mentioned Mamuka Mdinaradze as an intermediary and alleged that the demand had been made on Bidzina Ivanishvili’s orders.
Mdinaradze did not address the allegations against him when explaining his decision to step down.
