Businessman Arrested over Contract Killing amid Concerns of Criminal Culture Resurgence

Georgian authorities have arrested businessman Giorgi Mikadze and charged his brother, Davit Mikadze, in absentia over a high-profile killing believed to stem from disputes among the country’s influential criminal clans.

While the arrest of Mikadze, reportedly a close associate of notorious ex-prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze, follows a wave of internal disputes and crackdowns among former Georgian Dream allies, the bloody dispute also comes amid broader concerns over the resurgence of criminal subcultures in Georgia under GD rule.

Four suspects have been arrested and two others are being sought in connection with the murder of Levan Jangveladze, the brother of Merab Jangveladze, known as a “thief-in-law,” a title reserved for influential figures in the criminal underworld of the former Soviet space. Jangveladze, who was briefly visiting Georgia, was gunned down on the evening of March 14, 2025, in Tbilisi’s upscale Vake district, in what appeared to be a professional hit. A man accompanying him was also wounded.

Prosecutors argue brothers David and Giorgi Mikadze planned Jangveladze’s murder, alongside other associates, over a “certain dispute and conflict” stemming from the business activities.

Since the murder, four suspects have been arrested: Gela Udzilauri, the alleged hitman detained three days after the killing; and businessman Giorgi Mikadze along with two associates, Mamuka Baghdavadze and Giorgi Kachkachishvili, all taken into custody on August 11. Davit Mikadze and Giorgi Jokhadze, a friend of the Mikadze brothers, remain on the wanted list.

The Mikadze brothers and Jokhadze were charged under Article 109 (m) of the Criminal Code, which covers intentional killing “for mercenary purposes or by contract” and carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment. Kachkachishvili, accused of purchasing and supplying the gun used in the killing, was charged under Article 236-6-a for the group purchase and possession of a firearm, punishable by up to 11 years in prison. Baghdavadze, Jokhadze’s relative, was charged under Articles 375-3 and 370-3 for covering up a particularly grave crime and obstructing justice by providing false information, offenses carrying a penalty of up to seven years in jail.

Earlier Reports and Links to Partskhaladze

“This is a far bigger affair than you can imagine,” Levan Khabeishvili, former United National Movement chair, said when commenting on the recent arrests on Facebook. “A big internal war now has been openly declared!”

The reports follow a string of dramatic developments, including arrests, investigations, and shootings involving former Georgian Dream officials and business associates, fueling speculation that the ruling party may be caught up in internal purges and retributions. Among the cases was a brief arrest and subsequent release on bail of prominent businessman Giorgi Ramishvili, a.k.a. “Zarala”, over carrying a firearm in airport luggage in July. Zarala, like Mikadze brothers, has been known to be a close associate of ex-prosecutor Partskhaladze, reportedly Russian citizen sanctioned by the U.S. over alleged FSB ties and once considered a crony of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgia’s ruling party.

The Mikadze brothers’ names and the controversies surrounding them have periodically surfaced in Georgian media. In 2019, Georgian citizen Davit Guliashvili accused Davit Mikadze of physically assaulting him on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue during a funeral in a confrontation allegedly stemming from a past dispute, leaving him hospitalized with injuries. Guliashvili claimed Mikadze struck him with a firearm, but said police ignored the incident, something he attributed to Mikadze’s ties to Partskhaladze.

In 2021, the Mtavari Arkhi channel aired what it said was 2019 footage showing Davit Mikadze threatening police officers with a “ride through hell.” The video was reportedly linked to police attempts to arrest Mikadze over the assault on Guliashvili.

The channel identified Mikadze as a member of the “Mtatsminda brotherhood” with ties to the criminal underworld, noting that while he was jailed for three months over the incident, the victim, Guliashvili, had to serve years in prison on charges of illegally purchasing firearms. Mtavari Arkhi also alleged that the Mikadze brothers were involved in business extortion schemes.

Davit Mikadze’s name resurfaced during last December’s pro-EU demonstration, with media identifying him among a group of men, with one of them reportedly carrying a firearm, who attacked protesters during a march in Tbilisi.

Concerns over the Resurgence of Criminal Culture

While the past decades and particularly the post-Rose Revolution crackdown saw the decline of once influential criminal subcultures, including the reign of so-called thieves-in-law  [“вор в законе” – Russian], concerns have returned in the past years over their influence, particularly over the alleged links of such groups with Georgian authorities.

Police has repeatedly reported arrests in connection of membership of criminal underworld, but recurring high-profile murders and violent confrontations in recent years have further highlighted the persistence of the problem.

A new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, published this August and authored by Dr. Alexander Kupatadze, Associate Professor at King’s College London, highlights the resurgence of this culture since the Georgian Dream came to power in 2012.

“Amid the declining legitimacy of the Georgian government, thieves-in-law have re-emerged as influential players, valued for their ability to mobilize votes and assist the authorities in managing prison populations,” the report says.

Citing court data, the report says thieves in laws are mostly involved “in extortion and blackmail, violent intimidation and drug-related crimes,” also noting that lack in trust in judiciary led business people and civilians to turn to criminal networks for dispute resolution.

“There is compelling evidence of alliances between government officials and organized crime in two main areas: employing criminals to influence elections, and utilizing their networks to maintain control over the prison population,” the report reads. According to the research, current situation in Georgia, “marked by a pervasive politicalcriminal nexus,” resembles pre-United National Movement era, except that “this relationship is now more institutionalized and systematically managed by formal authorities who retain the upper hand in dictating the rules of the game.”

In recent elections, watchdogs and observers have repeatedly raised concerns about the mobilization of criminal groups to influence outcomes, both during campaigns and on election days.

Many “thieves-in-law,” including Merab “Sokhumski” Jangveladze, brother of the killed Levan Jangveladze, are known to continue calling the shots from abroad, following a wave of emigration during the United National Movement-era crackdown.

The arrests come in the wake of a major reshuffle in the Interior Ministry, with Gela (Geka) Geladze replacing Vakhtang Gomelauri as the GD Minister.

Also Read:

• 23/01/2024 – Police Detain Five People Linked to Criminal Underworld
• 14/11/2023 – Police Detain 18 Individuals Linked to Criminal Underworld Across Georgia
• 03/02/2018 – Georgia to Criminalize Aiding ‘Thieves-in-Law’
• 15/07/2014 – ECHR Says Georgia’s ‘Anti-Thief-in-Law’ Legislation Not in Breach of Convention