SSSG: Former PM Irakli Garibashvili Admitted Receiving Illicit Income
Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has been questioned at the State Security Service and “admitted to the fact of receiving illicit income throughout the years,” Emzar Gagnidze, the head of the SSSG’s Anti-Corruption Service, said at an October 22 briefing, noting that Garibashvili “fully cooperated with the investigation.”
“Accordingly, in the coming days, based on the existing and newly obtained evidence, the investigation will decide both on the legal qualification of his actions and on the issue of selecting a preventive measure against him, which will also be communicated to the public,” Gagnidze added.
Irakli Garibashvili, once a close aide to Bidzina Ivanishvili, served as Georgia’s prime minister from 2013 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2024. After his second tenure, he was succeeded by Irakli Kobakhidze, who currently holds the post. Garibashvili quit the Georgian Dream party and politics altogether on April 25, 2025.
The State Security Service statement came shortly after a briefing at the Prosecutor General’s Office, which announced the arrest of Koba Khundadze, an associate of former SSSG chief Grigol Liluashvili. Prosecutor Jarji Tsiklauri said USD 1,319,300 in cash, stored in 94 envelopes, was seized from Khundadze’s home during a search. He has been charged with laundering a large amount of money and faces nine to twelve years in prison if convicted.
Tsiklauri also announced the seizure of USD 2,904,900 from Mikheil Chokheli, an associate of former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze.
The developments follow an October 17 announcement that the State Security Service and Prosecutor’s Office had searched the homes of Garibashvili, Liluashvili, former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, and eight of their associates. Authorities said they seized millions of dollars in cash and valuables during the searches.
The investigation follows a series of resignations, followed by prosecutions, arrests, and incidents involving former Georgian Dream officials and business allies. While authorities have justified the crackdown as part of their anti-corruption efforts, critics have described it as an internal purge and an act of personal retribution by Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s billionaire founder.
Also Read:
This post is also available in: ქართული