Ex-Georgian Security Chief Grigol Liluashvili arrested over bribery allegations

Former Head of Georgia’s State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili has been arrested, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Tuesday at a briefing.

According to Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze, Liluashvili is accused of accepting large-scale bribes and providing protection to fraudulent call centers, part of whose proceeds allegedly financed opposition media and political forces.

Gvarakidze said that as a result of joint investigative actions carried out by the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Security Service, Liluashvili was detained and charged in several criminal cases involving bribery.

First episode: In October 2022, Liluashvili allegedly received a $1 million bribe from Turkish investor Çağatay Ülker through then First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Romeo Mikautadze. In exchange, Liluashvili was to lobby for the signing of a memorandum of cooperation related to the construction of wind power plants.

Second episode: In February 2022, again through Romeo Mikautadze, Liluashvili allegedly demanded and received ₾1.5 million from Giorgi Khazhalia, founder of Express Service 2008, in return for assistance in gasification tenders.

Third episode: The investigation covers the period from 2021 to 2023, when dozens of fraudulent call centers continued operating in Georgia despite the state’s declared legal fight against them. According to witness testimony, most of these call centers were owned by a group of individuals who financed various opposition media outlets with the proceeds. A smaller portion of the call centers was allegedly protected by Liluashvili, who, according to the prosecution, operated through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili. As a result of this criminal activity, Grigol Liluashvili allegedly received approximately $1,365,000 in bribes through Sandro Liluashvili.

The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that the investigation is also actively examining a version according to which Liluashvili and his alleged accomplices ensured that the existence of fraudulent call centers financing opposition media was not exposed, while opposition media outlets, despite having information, did not report on the call centers allegedly operating under Liluashvili’s protection.

Fourth episode: Prosecutors allege that Liluashvili abused his official position to protect his friend, former Head of the Tbilisi City Hall Kindergarten Management Agency, Kakha Gvantseladze, in exchange for bribes. Gvantseladze is accused of receiving especially large sums of money in the form of kickbacks from business entities during the signing of procurement contracts for kindergartens. Employees of the agency’s financial accounting and monitoring units were also allegedly involved. All of them have been formally charged.

The prosecution said hundreds of investigative actions have been carried out in the case, including witness interviews confirming the alleged crimes, as well as the seizure of evidence such as video and audio recordings.

Liluashvili is charged under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which concerns accepting bribes in especially large amounts by an organised group. The charges carry a possible sentence of 11 to 15 years in prison.

The Prosecutor’s Office said it will apply to the court within the legally prescribed timeframe to request pretrial detention as a preventive measure. The investigation is ongoing to identify other crimes allegedly committed by Liluashvili and to establish and detain other potential participants in the criminal schemes.

“Georgian law enforcement agencies continue the fight against corruption to reduce it to a historic minimum and ensure maximum prevention”, Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze said.