Former head of Georgia’s State Security Service arrested on bribery charges

Georgia’s former head of the State Security Service, Grigol Liluashvili, has been arrested on charges of taking large-scale bribes, the country’s General Prosecutor’s Office said on Tuesday.

Liluashvili has been accused under Article 338 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which relates to accepting bribes in particularly large amounts as part of an organised group. If convicted, he faces 11 to 15 years in prison.

The arrest followed what authorities described as joint operational and investigative actions carried out by the General Prosecutor’s Office and the State Security Service.

Prosecutors outlined four separate episodes allegedly involving Liluashvili between 2021 and 2023.

In the first case, prosecutors said that in October 2022 Liluashvili received one million US dollars from Turkish investor Cagatay Ulker, allegedly through the then First Deputy Minister of Economy, Romeo Mikautadze. The payment was reportedly made in exchange for lobbying support for the signing of a memorandum related to the construction of wind power plants in Georgia.

The second episode dates to February 2022. Prosecutors alleged that, again through Mikautadze, Liluashvili demanded and received 1.5 million Georgian lari from businessman Giorgi Khazalia, founder of the company Expressservice 2008, in return for assistance in gasification tenders.

The third episode concerns the continued operation of dozens of fraudulent call centres in Georgia between 2021 and 2023. Prosecutors claimed that while most of these call centres were linked to groups financing opposition media outlets, a smaller number were allegedly protected by Liluashvili. Investigators said this protection was arranged through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili, and resulted in bribes totalling approximately 1.365 million US dollars.

Authorities said they are examining allegations that the arrangement involved mutual non-disclosure: call centres linked to opposition media were not exposed, while media outlets allegedly refrained from reporting on call centres operating under Liluashvili’s protection.

In the fourth episode, prosecutors alleged that Liluashvili used his official position to protect his friend Kakha Gvantseladze, former head of Tbilisi City Hall’s Kindergarten Management Agency. Gvantseladze is accused of receiving large kickbacks from businesses in connection with procurement contracts for kindergartens. Investigators said agency employees responsible for financial accounting and monitoring were also involved and have been formally charged.

The Prosecutor’s Office said hundreds of investigative actions have been carried out, including witness interviews. Authorities claimed to have seized evidence supporting the allegations, including audio and video recordings.

Prosecutors are expected to apply to the court within the legal timeframe to seek pre-trial detention for Liluashvili. The investigation is continuing, with authorities saying they are working to identify additional crimes and other individuals who may have been involved.

Georgia’s General Prosecutor, Giorgi Gvarakidze, said law enforcement agencies would continue efforts to combat corruption, with the stated aim of reducing it to a “historic minimum” and strengthening prevention measures.