Khatuna Khurtsilava, the defense attorney for former Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, stated that her client did not provide testimony against former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. According to her, “nothing happened without an agreement,” though she did not specify with whom or what type of agreement was made.
“I was not present when [Juansher Burchuladze] gave his testimony. We will make an official statement next week.”
According to the lawyer, Juansher Burchuladze has nothing to hide, but he did not testify against Garibashvili.
As a reminder, the former defense minister, who was arrested on charges of abuse of official authority and money laundering, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
As for Irakli Garibashvili, the Prosecutor’s Office has brought new charges against him for accepting an exceptionally large bribe. The relevant article carries a prison sentence ranging from 11 to 15 years.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, on August 12, 2026, Burchuladze’s relative and fellow convict Vasil Mkheidze approached authorities “with the intent to cooperate with the investigation” and “provided investigators with all the information at his disposal.” Furthermore, “Juansher Burchuladze himself also cooperated with the investigation.”
According to prosecutors, the case concerns classified state procurement contracts at the Ministry of Defense dating back to 2022. The investigation claims that Burchuladze, who was minister at the time, and his relative Mkheidze promised a businessman guaranteed wins in ministry tenders for his affiliated companies. In exchange, the entrepreneur was required to pay approximately 10% of the contract value.
In turn, Garibashvili, who served as prime minister during that period, “provided official patronage to the scheme and likewise demanded illicit financial benefits.”
According to investigators, Garibashvili received a total of 750,000 GEL (Georgian lari) in bribes. The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the scheme caused financial damage to the state exceeding 6.98 million GEL.