Clan struggle within "Georgian Dream"? Former Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili received 5 years in prison and a million-dollar fine

Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has been sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined one million lari, UNN reports with reference to "News Georgia".

Details

As reported by the Georgian Prosecutor's Office, the former prime minister will be "deprived in favor of the state of those funds that were obtained as a result of criminal activity and that were seized during a search at his place of residence."

Garibashvili fully admitted his guilt and signed a so-called "procedural agreement" with the prosecutor's office, which was approved by the court.

The former head of government was charged under Article 194, Part 3, of the Criminal Code of Georgia - legalization of illegal income on a large scale.

The investigation established that, as a member of the Georgian government, Garibashvili secretly engaged in business, which is prohibited by law.

Garibashvili received large illegal incomes, and to conceal their origin, he indicated in his declarations that he received money as a gift from relatives.

Reference

Garibashvili was Prime Minister of Georgia in 2013-2015, and also in 2021-2024. In addition, he held the positions of Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Defense in various years.

The prime minister's "gifts" from his father – 73-year-old Tariel Garibashvili – have repeatedly attracted the attention of journalists. The head of government himself stated that he comes from a "wealthy" family, and his father, "although retired, has a multi-million dollar business."

The opposition links the case against Garibashvili to the struggle of clans within the "Georgian Dream", pointing out that for many years critical media outlets have pointed to "strange gifts from relatives", which the ruling party called slander.

Garibashvili was for a long time one of Bidzina Ivanishvili's closest associates. But in January 2024, he announced his resignation as prime minister after Ivanishvili's return to politics. Kobakhidze became prime minister, and Garibashvili took over as party chairman. Then, in April last year, Garibashvili announced his retirement from politics, promising to remain a "loyal soldier of the party." This statement did not help the ex-prime minister; a case was opened against him a few months later.