Full Breakdown
Former Georgian Security Chief Sentenced to 13 Years in Corruption Case
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Sentencing of Grigol Liluashvili
On September 16, a Tbilisi court sentenced former State Security Service (Security Service of Georgia (SSG)) chief Grigol Liluashvili to 13 years in prison after finding him guilty of four bribery schemes. Liluashvili, who led the SSG from 2019 until April 2025, denied the charges throughout the trial. He had been arrested on December 23, 2025.
Alleged Bribes and Money-Laundering Schemes
The Prosecutor General’s Office detailed four episodes:
- In October 2022, Liluashvili allegedly received US$1 million from Turkish investor Çagatay Ülker through then First Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze to lobby for a wind-farm cooperation memorandum.
- In February 2022, he is accused of taking 1.5 million GEL (about US$560,000) from company founder Giorgi Khazhalia in exchange for assistance with gas-ification tenders, again via Mikautadze.
- Between 2021 and 2023, he purportedly profited from fraudulent “call centres,” receiving roughly US$1.3 million with the help of his relative Sandro Liluashvili.
- He is also alleged to have protected a protection-racket for former kindergarten-agency director Kakha Gvantseladze, receiving bribes in return.
Liluashvili’s lawyer, Lana Tsertsvadze, argued that the prosecution presented no concrete evidence, relying only on a disputed testimony from Mikautadze that the defence had refuted.
Wider Anti-Corruption Campaign
The verdict is part of a series of prosecutions targeting senior officials linked to the ruling Georgian Dream party. Earlier in 2025, former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili pleaded guilty to large-scale money-laundering and received a five-year sentence in January 2026. Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze was sentenced to ten years in April, and Liluashvili’s cousin, Andria Liluashvili, received a twelve-year term in July for related offenses.
Official Reactions
Members of Georgian Dream publicly affirmed a “zero-tolerance” stance on corruption, emphasizing that the prosecutions apply even to allies. The Prosecutor General’s Office highlighted the breadth of the case, noting that the charges carried a statutory range of 11 to 15 years.
Criticism and Opposition Concerns
Opposition politicians and civil-society activists have questioned the motives behind the crackdown, suggesting it may reflect internal power struggles rather than a genuine anti-corruption drive. They point to the simultaneous targeting of both former allies and opposition figures as evidence of politicized justice.