Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream party, will be questioned remotely on Wednesday as part of the ongoing cryptocurrency case involving Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of the Georgian Co-Investment Fund founded.
The case centers around allegations that Bachiashvili misappropriated more than $39 million worth of bitcoin belonging to Ivanishvili in 2017.
According to the prosecution, Bachiashvili transferred only $536,900 to Ivanishvili in exchange for the full profit from the investment, but illegally kept 8,253.13 bitcoins, which were valued at approximately $39 million in 2017.
Bachiashvili has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his defense team has requested the inclusion of additional witnesses in the case. Among those added to the list is Natia Turnava, Acting President of the National Bank of Georgia and former Economy Minister, whose signature allegedly appeared on a new document related to the case.
Turnava, along with Nikoloz Gagua, a former member of the National Bank’s Board, and Givi Lebanidze, Deputy General Director of Cartu Bank, will also be questioned.
The prosecution has stated that it is now presenting these individuals as witnesses for the prosecution. The defense team’s motion to include them in the questioning process was granted by the City Court judge.
As the case progresses, Bachiashvili remains on bail, set at 2.5 million GEL, and is prohibited from leaving the country until the investigation is complete. If convicted, Bachiashvili faces a prison sentence ranging from 9 to 12 years for the alleged misappropriation of the cryptocurrency.
