Key figures in the embezzlement case involving the Ministry of Defense of Georgia—Vasil Mkheidze, the brother-in-law of former Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, and former Deputy Defense Minister Giorgi Khaindrava—have been released from custody. Following their confessions and plea agreements with prosecutors, their custodial sentences were reduced to 14 months.
The detained former Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze and his brother-in-law Vasil Mkheidze have provided witness testimony in a new criminal investigation launched against former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who is also currently in detention.
According to Burchuladze’s testimony, out of 1.5 million lari received from businessman Zurab Tukvadze, the former defense chief handed over 750,000 lari in cash to Garibashvili across several installments.
As previously reported, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals found Juansher Burchuladze guilty of abuse of official authority during his tenure at the Ministry of Defense and of money laundering. Vasil Mkheidze was convicted of aiding and abetting large-scale embezzlement of state funds and influence peddling, while Giorgi Khaindrava was convicted of large-scale embezzlement.
Juansher Burchuladze was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment, comprising 3 years in a penitentiary facility and a 2-year suspended sentence with an equivalent probationary period. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 1,000,000 lari, with various personal assets forfeited to the state without compensation.
Vasil Mkheidze was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months of imprisonment: 1 year and 2 months of custodial confinement, followed by a 3-year suspended sentence under the same probationary terms. He was also assessed a fine of 100,000 lari. Seized material evidence—non-excise cigarettes worth several million lari, along with tobacco and production raw materials—was forfeited to state ownership.
Giorgi Khaindrava received a sentence of 4 years and 2 months of imprisonment, including 1 year and 2 months to be served in a correctional facility and 3 years suspended with an equivalent probationary period. In addition, he was ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 lari.
