Former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili admits to receiving illegal income, says Anti-Corruption Agency Head

Emzar Gagnidze, the Director of the Georgian State Security Service’s Anti-Corruption Agency, on Wednesday said that the former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili was questioned, noting that the former official fully cooperated with investigators and admitted to receiving illegal income over the years.

In his remarks, Gagnidze stressed that the questioning of Garibashvili was part of extensive and complex investigative operations that have recently included multiple searches at the homes of former senior officials and individuals connected to them.

“As is known to the public, intensive, complex, operational, and investigative actions are ongoing in connection with criminal cases, during which searches were conducted in recent days at various locations, including the residences of former high-ranking political officials and individuals associated with them”, he said.

He added that earlier today, the Prosecutor General’s Office also held a briefing concerning one of the ongoing criminal cases and a person detained as a result of the coordinated investigative actions.

Gagnidze explained that the investigation would assess all gathered and new evidence before determining the next procedural steps regarding the former Prime Minister.

“Additionally, we inform the public that today, the former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili was questioned at the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service, where he fully cooperated with the investigation and admitted to receiving illegal income over the years. Accordingly, in the coming days, the investigation will review, based on existing and additionally obtained evidence, both the qualification of his actions and the selection of a preventive measure against him, which will also be communicated to the public”, he concluded.

The Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday announced the detention of Koba Khundadze, an individual linked to former Head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili.

On October 17, Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvaramidze announced during a briefing that searches were conducted at the homes of Irakli Garibashvili, Grigol Liluashvili, Otar Partskhaladze, and eight other individuals connected to them.

Investigators seized various electronic devices, documents, and large sums of cash.