Hearings at the Tbilisi City Court in the new criminal case against former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili will be held behind closed doors. The prosecution filed a motion requesting a closed-door trial, which was granted by the court.
Today, November 2, the first hearing was held, with Garibashvili attending in person. Before the proceedings were declared closed, the former prime minister managed to make a statement, specifically stating that he was in favor of publicity.
“I would like to clarify several issues [at this point he was interrupted and reminded that he was only entitled to speak on whether the session should be closed or remain open]. Naturally, I object to this motion. I want the public to know the truth: this is a politically motivated case built on slander. It is critically important that this process be open and transparent, so that the people can see the absolute absurdity of the charges. I ask the court to deny this motion.”
According to Georgian media reports, the courtroom was virtually full until attendees were asked to leave. Irakli Garibashvili’s wife and other relatives were present. None of the former prime minister’s former party colleagues attended, with the exception of Eldar “Luka” Kurtanidze and Rati Bregadze. Kurtanidze greeted Garibashvili’s arrival with applause, and in response to a warning from Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili, he replied that “a worthy son of the nation has entered” and he was duty-bound to salute him.
Judge Tamar Mchedlishvili issued another reprimand to Garibashvili himself. When asked if he spoke Georgian, the former prime minister replied, “I try.” The judge deemed the remark out of line with courtroom procedure and urged the politician not to joke.
The prosecution justified its motion to hold the trial in camera by citing the need to protect personal data, safeguard professional secrets (as a number of senior officials are set to be questioned), and ensure the safety of the defendant and his family.
The motion was not submitted in writing prior to the start of the hearing, which, according to media reports, came as a surprise to the judge. Garibashvili’s defense attorneys categorically disagreed with the prosecutor’s position.
“They do not want the public to hear the truth and the statements he intends to deliver in person. There is no secret in this case. The motion was not submitted in advance simply because Garibashvili announced his personal participation in the hearing only today,” said defense attorney Lili Gelashvili.
“The citizens of Georgia deserve the right to follow the trial of the country’s former prime minister directly. The prosecution’s motion is completely unfounded. If the testimony of any specific witness truly contains confidential data, only the corresponding session should be closed,” noted attorney Lali Aptsiauri.
According to investigators, Irakli Garibashvili received 750,000 GEL (approximately $290,000) as a bribe. The money was allegedly handed over to him directly by former Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze. The charges carry a prison sentence ranging from 11 to 15 years.
Letters from Prison:
Irakli Garibashvili served as Georgia’s prime minister twice—from November 20, 2013, to December 23, 2015, and from February 22, 2021, to February 8, 2024. In addition, he twice chaired the ruling Georgian Dream party. Garibashvili finally left the party in April 2025, several months after stepping down as prime minister. At the time, he stated that he saw no further need to remain party chairman or active in politics altogether. However, the former prime minister emphasized that he remained a “loyal soldier” of the Ivanishvili team.
Subsequently, the politician was detained, charged with corruption, and sentenced to 5 years in prison (he was facing 9 to 12 years in prison, but in January 2026 it was revealed that he had pleaded guilty and entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office).
On August 24, Garibashvili was hit with new charges—accepting a bribe on an especially large scale by a group acting in prior conspiracy. The statute provides for a prison term of 11 to 15 years. This time, the former prime minister refused to plead guilty and declared his intention to seek justice.
Since mid-August, Garibashvili has been regularly publishing letters on social media, claiming he is being “forced” into an open fight.
- On August 17, Irakli Garibashvili openly spoke out against the ruling team and Bidzina Ivanishvili for the first time. According to him, “on the instructions of Bidzina Ivanishvili,” he was sent a letter proposing that he “confess” to an unknown corruption crime in order to hedge against a 1 percent “risk” of his return to politics. He placed full responsibility for the safety of himself and his family directly on Ivanishvili and the current authorities;
- In a publication dated August 18, he no longer mentioned Ivanishvili, stating instead that the sender of the letter was Mamuka Mdinaradze—who had previously served as deputy prime minister, minister, head of the SGB (State Security Service of Georgia), and parliamentary majority leader. In that same letter, Garibashvili noted that he had “done everything” to avoid a confrontation with his team and loved ones. That, he explained, was why he had admitted to earlier corruption charges, which led to a 5-year prison sentence under a plea bargain. Nine days after Garibashvili published his letter, Mdinaradze unexpectedly announced his departure from politics;
- In his third open letter from prison, dated August 20, the former prime minister alleged that members of his family were facing arrest threats. According to the politician, he is being pressured to plead guilty in the new case “solely to hedge against the so-called one-percent risk communicated to you and permanently bar me from politics.” The former prime minister claims this was accompanied by “immoral blackmail and pressure”: “For the second time, hints were made about arresting my 75-year-old father”;
- On August 25, the former Georgian prime minister released another letter from prison, stating that he saw no point in attending court hearings, as the new criminal case against him was purely political. Garibashvili called the proceedings a “political masquerade” and stressed that truth remained his only path and weapon in the fight;
- In a letter dated September 1, the former prime minister stated that he had questions regarding the suicide of a respondent interviewed by the newspaper Asaval-Dasavali, who had praised him while criticizing Irakli Kobakhidze. According to Garibashvili, some had questioned the suicide narrative: “I ask this question publicly because questions still remain unanswered in society regarding the suicides of several individuals that occurred during the Kobakhidze-Mdinaradze era.” Following the publication of the letter, opposition leaders were summoned for questioning, but not the politicians mentioned in the post;
- In a letter on September 7, Irakli Garibashvili asserted that “dirty political games” were being waged against him, adding that he had recently heard disgraceful and mendacious statements from people who had lost their human decency. According to the former prime minister, authorities are trying to discredit him by linking him to the United National Movement, but these “ludicrous and helpless” tactics are in vain. The politician declared that Georgian Dream was staging an “abhorrent and tragic” masquerade;
- On September 21, in his seventh letter, he again addressed his former associates, claiming that they had “confused even their own voters” and sown “a fear of hopelessness, instability, and an unpredictable future.” “You are already following Saakashvili’s path and reviving the governing methods of the United National Movement.” According to Garibashvili, he was promised that if he pleaded guilty, a plea bargain would be struck resulting in a long suspended sentence and a fine, but no prison time. However, the former prime minister claims he was “duped”;
- On September 30, the former prime minister once again issued a prison letter in which he highlighted his achievements during his second term as head of the Georgian government. “Nearly three years have passed since then, and I want to ask the people: has the situation in the country improved or worsened—both in domestic and foreign policy?!” Garibashvili wrote;
- On October 20, the politician published his ninth open letter. In it, he branded the case politically motivated and founded on slander. He also highlighted his record—specifically “what was done to bolster the country’s defense capabilities during my tenure as prime minister and minister of defense.”