Natia Tamazashvili, the wife’s sister and attorney for former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, has stated that Garibashvili neither admits guilt nor will sign the new charges against him, describing the process as "entirely political."
"This has nothing to do with the law and is a fully political process. Irakli Garibashvili is a political prisoner today," Tamazashvili told TV Pirveli.
"I cannot tell you whose interest this [new charge] serves. The ongoing process is illogical, and we are talking about an non-existent charge. Irakli is currently a political target of persecution."She added:
"I can explicitly tell you that there is no conversation about any bribe here. Irakli neither confessed nor signed this charge, and naturally, everything will be clarified over time," noting that it will ultimately become clear who betrayed whom.
Details of the New ChargesAllegations: The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia filed new charges against Garibashvili regarding the alleged receipt of an exceptionally large bribe committed by a group with prior agreement.Scope: According to the prosecution, the case involves classified state procurement carried out by the Ministry of Defense, resulting in a 750,000 GEL bribe handed to Garibashvili.Mechanism: Prosecutors allege the funds reached the former prime minister through the Minister of Defense at the time, Juansher Burchuladze.
The investigation claims competitive conditions were artificially restricted during the procurement of medical equipment and inventory, forcing the state to pay significantly higher prices than market value.Current StatusGaribashvili is currently serving a 5-year sentence under a court-approved plea agreement for a separate criminal case. The new charges, under the qualification cited by the prosecution, carry a potential sentence of 11 to 15 years in prison.
