Convicted former Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili hospitalized from prison due to kidney problems
Kyiv • UNN
Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who was convicted of money laundering, has been hospitalized at a medical center in Tbilisi. The reason was kidney problems.
Georgia's former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, convicted of money laundering, was hospitalized from the Rustavi prison to the Caucasus Medical Center in Tbilisi. TV Pirveli reported this, and the information was confirmed by lawyers for the former head of Georgia's government, UNN reports, citing "News of Georgia."
"Yes, I confirm. It was a scheduled examination," lawyer Mikhail Shakulashvili said.
According to him, Garibashvili was returned to the correctional facility that same day. According to TV Pirveli, kidney problems were the reason for the hospitalization. The medical center refused to comment on the information.
At the same time, the television channel draws attention to possible preferential treatment of the former prime minister.
The Caucasus Medical Center is not among the medical facilities that cooperate with Georgia's Penitentiary Service. Usually, inmates from the Rustavi prison are sent for treatment to the private Vivamed clinic. Georgia's Ministry of Justice has not yet commented on the situation.
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On January 12, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Garibashvili to five years in prison, finding him guilty of legalizing illegal income on an especially large scale. Although the article provided for a sentence of 9 to 12 years, the former prime minister reached a plea agreement with the prosecution: he admitted his guilt, agreed to pay a fine of 1 million lari (more than $380,000), and also to hand over to the state the cash discovered at his home.
Garibashvili headed Georgia's government in 2013–2015 and 2021–2024. In different years, he also served as minister of internal affairs and minister of defense.
According to the investigation, in 2019–2021, while holding public office, Garibashvili secretly engaged in business activities, which is prohibited by law. In his income declarations, he stated that he had received large monetary gifts from family members. Thus, the prosecution claims, he legalized 830,000 lari (more than $317,000). In addition, the investigation established that Garibashvili invested more than 3.6 million lari (more than $1.3 million) in a company owned by a member of his family.
The opposition linked the criminal prosecution of the former prime minister to a struggle for influence within the ruling Georgian Dream party. Garibashvili was considered one of the closest associates of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. After Ivanishvili returned to politics in January 2024, Garibashvili left the post of prime minister, yielding it to Irakli Kobakhidze, and took over leadership of the ruling party. In April of the same year, he announced his withdrawal from politics, promising to remain a "loyal soldier of the party." However, just a few months later, a criminal case was opened against him.