Georgian Prosecutor’s Office brings charges against Former Defence Minister

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday filed charges against former Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on counts of abuse of power by a high-ranking political official and money laundering.

The body said the investigation by its Anti-Corruption Agency found that in 2023, while serving as Defence Minister, Burchuladze abused his official position to secure benefits for himself and his relatives. Acting on his instructions, the then-Deputy Defence Minister, the head of the Ministry’s Procurement Department, and a relative of the Minister manipulated the procurement process for medical equipment intended for a military hospital.

The scheme allegedly created a non-competitive environment, inflating the price of the equipment through sham agreements. As a result, an apparatus worth ₾2,606,272 ($968,994) was supplied to the Defense Ministry for ₾3,940,000 ($1.46mln), causing ₾1,333,728 ($495,871) in damages to the state budget.

Investigators also allege that in January 2025, Burchuladze and his wife purchased a property in Spain for €544,000 using illicit funds. To conceal the origin of the money, a fictitious real estate transaction was recorded in 2024 between Burchuladze’s wife and a third party involving property in Tskneti - an urban-type settlement near Tbilisi - though the family never actually transferred ownership.

Furthermore, in March 2025, the former Minister failed to declare the Spanish property in his mandatory asset declaration, thereby concealing assets worth ₾1,593,212 ($592,345) and laundering illicit income on a large scale.

Burchuladze has been charged under Articles 194 (3)(g) and 332 (2) of Georgia’s Criminal Code, covering large-scale money laundering and abuse of power by a political official. The charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 12 years in prison.

The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it will request pre-trial detention as a preventive measure. The State Security Service said the investigation remains ongoing.