Mamuka Khazaradze, a leader of the Lelo opposition party and co-founder of the domestic TBC Bank, on Monday revealed the $17 million money laundering case involving him and his associate, Badri Japaridze, had been accepted by the European Court of Human Rights.

In his social media post, Khazaradze claimed, "the Strasbourg court has expedited our lawsuit in an unprecedented manner. Bidzina [referring to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party], the international court will soon determine the true perpetrator of fraud in this nation and expose those who manipulate the Georgian judicial system for political vendettas and personal gain."

The Georgian Prosecutor's Office initiated proceedings against Khazaradze and Japaridze several years ago. In August 2018, an investigation was launched into events dating back a decade, culminating in charges of money laundering on July 24, 2019.

Just days before the indictment, on July 9, 2019, Khazaradze publicly announced the formation of a public organization, later transformed into the Lelo political party established in December 2019.

The defendants have consistently asserted that the money laundering case was politically motivated. Khazaradze disclosed in March 2019 that he had received a threatening letter from then-Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia prior to the 2018 presidential elections, expressing intentions to “tarnish their reputation domestically and internationally”.

Khazaradze reiterated these claims during his final court session on January 11, 2022, highlighting the lack of investigation by the prosecutor's office into this matter. He further alleged that  Ivanishvili had proposed to "resolve and conclude" the case last year.

The city court rendered its verdict in January 2022, convicting the defendants of organized fraud rather than money laundering, a decision contested by the prosecution. However, neither imprisonment nor sentencing was imposed by the judge.

Subsequent appeals by both political figures and the prosecutor's office were dismissed by the Court of Appeal, with the Supreme Court declining to hear further arguments.