Aleksi Akhvlediani dismissed as director of Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency

Aleksi Akhvlediani has been officially dismissed from his position as Director of Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency, according to a statement from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. The termination order was signed on July 9, 2025.

Akhvlediani had served as the head of the agency since May 2023.

The dismissal follows a July 8 decision by Tbilisi City Court, which imposed a bail of 30,000 GEL on Akhvlediani. He was released from custody pending the conclusion of his trial.

The 55-year-old is facing charges of negligent storage of a firearm under Article 238 of Georgia’s Criminal Code. Prosecutors allege that a firearm registered to Akhvlediani was used in an attempted suicide by Tornike Rizhvadze, the former Chairman of the Government of Adjara.

Rizhvadze was initially hospitalized in Sagarejo on July 7 and later transferred to Tbilisi’s First University Clinic. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was subsequently moved to a medical facility in Turkey for further treatment.