Tbilisi court orders Saakashvili to pay $3 million in embezzlement case

The Tbilisi City Court has ordered former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his ex-security chief Teimuraz Janashia to return nearly 9 million lari (over $3 million) to the state treasury, funds deemed embezzled during Saakashvili’s presidency.

Judge Alexander Gzirisvili delivered the ruling following a lawsuit filed by the Georgian Ministry of Finance, which argued that the convicted officials must compensate the state for the misappropriated amount, Caliber.Az reports per Georgian media. 

The decision follows a March 12, 2025, verdict that sentenced Saakashvili to nine years in prison for embezzling public funds. In the same case, Janashia, former head of the Special State Protection Service, was found guilty of abuse of official authority. His charges were reclassified, and he was ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 lari  ($108,000).

The Ministry of Finance maintained that the repayment is essential to restore the state treasury’s losses from the embezzlement scheme.

By Sabina Mammadli