Former Georgian PM Garibashvili faces money laundering charges

Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has been formally charged with large-scale money laundering.

The court set bail at $367,000 (GEL 1 million), required him to surrender his passport, and barred him from leaving the country pending trial, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Prosecution Service of Georgia.

At a briefing on October 24, Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze stated that Garibashvili “secretly and covertly engaged in various types of business activities and received large amounts of income of illegal origin” during his tenure as defence minister and later as prime minister between 2019 and 2024.

“As a public official, he was required to declare both his income and expenses,” Gvarakidze noted.

The indictment is part of a broader investigation into former senior members of the ruling Georgian Dream party, including Garibashvili, former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili, former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, and several of their associates.

On October 17, authorities searched their residences, seizing millions of dollars in cash and valuables, and detained several individuals linked to the case.

Two days before the indictment, on October 22, the State Security Service reported that Garibashvili had been questioned by its Anti-Corruption Service, had “fully cooperated” with investigators, and had “admitted to receiving illicit income over the years.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada