The court approved the prosecutor's motion and remanded former Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze in custody. He is accused of abuse of official authority and the legalisation of illicit income. The defence cited Burchuladze's health condition as one of the reasons for requesting a change in the preventive measure imposed by the court. The defendant also spoke at today's hearing, stating that he needs “daily rehabilitation, specifically, massages.“
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The former Defence Minister, who has been imprisoned for three months, stated, “I confirm the defence’s claims regarding my health. I require daily rehabilitation, specifically, massages which cannot be provided in a penitentiary.”
According to Juansher Burchuladze, using the most severe preventive measure, imprisonment, against him is inappropriate.
“Gathering the evidence has been concluded. However, the evidence presented so far is mainly indirect and unsupported. Until now, the prosecution has had time to gather evidence. This could have served as a reason for the judge to impose strict measures. What has changed today is that the prosecution has finished its investigation but has not yet found any direct evidence. This is the circumstance that the court should discuss," Burchuladze noted.
Tbilisi City Court remanded in custody the former Deputy Minister of Defence, Giorgi Khaindrava, and Juansher Burchuladze's brother-in-law, Vasil Mkheidze, who were arrested in the same case.
Regarding another defendant, Vladimer Ghudushauri, the former head of the Defence Ministry's procurement department, has been released on bail. Prosecutor Ana Lekiashvili mentioned that Ghudushauri's confession is part of the case. Vladimer Ghudushauri did not attend today's trial.
Juansher Burchuladze is considered a member of the inner circle of the former Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Gharibashvili. He held the position of Minister of Defence from 2021 to 2024, during Gharibashvili's term as Prime Minister.
According to the case materials, Giorgi Khaindrava and Vladimer Ghudushauri, with the assistance of Mkheidze, deliberately created a non-competitive environment during the Ministry of Defence's procurement of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device. Prosecutors allege that Burchuladze ordered the scheme. As a result of unrealistic deals, the device's actual market value was artificially inflated. It was delivered to the Ministry for 3,940,000 GEL, although it was valued at only 2,606,272 GEL. The Prosecutor's Office reports that the Ministry of Defence suffered property damage of 1,333,728 GEL.
The former Minister of Defence is accused of legalising the illicit income of 1,593,212 GEL. According to the case materials, in January 2025, he purchased a plot of land and a residential house on it in Málaga province, Spain, for 544,000 euros.
Juansher Burchuladze could face a prison sentence of 9 to 12 years if convicted.
