The pre-trial hearing in the case of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili was scheduled for 16 December. However, the Tbilisi City Court has postponed it. According to Amiran Giguashvili, the defendant's lawyer, the prosecution requested an extension of the deadline for carrying out investigative actions.
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“The deadline has been extended until February 12. The Prosecutor's Office filed a motion with the court requesting additional time to conduct certain investigative actions. The prosecution is entitled to do so. Let's see what evidence they will gather and present,” Giguashvili told TV Pirveli.
Irakli Gharibashvili, former Prime Minister and Georgian Dream chairman, is accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of laundering millions. According to the prosecution, the majority of the unsubstantiated sum of 6,500,000 USD was discovered and seized during a search of his apartment on 17 October.
According to the investigation, during his tenure, Gharibashvili covertly engaged in various business activities and received a significant amount of income from illegal sources. To legalise his illicit income, Irakli Gharibashvili provided false information in his declarations about the status of his property. He claimed that he received large sums of money as gifts from a family member every year. The prosecutor's office states that, in this way, 830,000 GEL of money “received as a result of illegal participation in private business” was laundered into legal circulation.
Furthermore, according to the case materials, to legitimise the unsubstantiated property, Irakli Garibashvili purchased and registered two cars worth 463,630 GEL in the name of a person connected to him in 2023-2024. Additionally, through a family member, he obtained full ownership of a company for 210,000 GEL, with total investments of 3,670,172 GEL.
Irakli Garibashvili was charged under Article 194, Part 3, Subparagraph “G” of the Criminal Code, which carries a penalty for legalising illegal income and obtaining large sums. If convicted, he faces imprisonment for 9 to 12 years.
Garibashvili was not arrested. On October 24, the Tbilisi City Court imposed a bail of 1 million GEL and barred him from leaving the country.
