Georgia’s ex-prime minister given prison sentence after guilty plea
Former Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili has been arrested and sentenced to prison, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia has announced, Azernews reports.
According to the prosecution, Garibashvili was found guilty of legalizing large amounts of illegal income and was sentenced to five years in prison. The court also imposed a fine of 1 million lari (approximately $371,000) and ordered the confiscation of proceeds obtained through criminal activity.
The prosecutor’s office stated that during his tenure as Minister of Defense and Prime Minister between 2019 and 2024, Garibashvili engaged in various commercial activities from which he received illegal income. Investigators allege that these funds were falsely declared in his tax returns as “money received as a gift from a family member.”
Garibashvili pleaded guilty during the trial. According to prosecutors, he possessed around $7 million in cash and assets obtained through criminal means, part of which has already been confiscated by the authorities.
Earlier, Georgian law enforcement agencies conducted searches at several properties allegedly linked to Garibashvili and members of his inner circle. During these operations, investigators seized significant sums of money and other assets as part of the ongoing case.
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