Tbilisi court prepares for initial hearing in high-profile alleged defrauding case of Ivanishvili

The Tbilisi City Court is set to commence its first procedural session on Wednesday regarding the legal proceedings concerning the alleged defrauding of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and its honorary chair, by his former financial assistant, Giorgi Bachiashvili.

Representatives from Amsterdam & Partners LLP, the international legal firm representing Bachiashvili, have emphasized the global scrutiny of the legal proceedings in Georgia.

Robert Amsterdam, founding partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, expressed concerns about procedural fairness and potential prosecutorial misconduct. He suggested that the state’s actions might be influenced by Ivanishvili’s interests rather than legal principles. According to Amsterdam, the decision to pursue criminal charges instead of a civil case, based on financial claims stemming from an eight-year-old repaid bank loan without substantial evidence, raises doubts about the integrity of the legal process and the independence of the judiciary in Georgia.

Levan Makharashvili, Bachiashvili’s legal representative in Georgia, noted that despite a nine-month investigation, the prosecution has yet to provide evidence supporting the allegations.

Bachiashvili, the former head of the Georgian Co-Investment Fund, was granted bail of 2,500,000 GEL last year after his arrest. He has also been prohibited from leaving the country until the investigation concludes and has been instructed to surrender his Georgian and Russian passports to the investigative agency.

Bachiashvili, known for his achievements as a venture capitalist and as the founder of the investment firm Mission Gate, faces charges related to alleged misappropriation and unlawful income connected to a cryptocurrency mining investment in 2015. He is accused of embezzling 8,253.13 bitcoins in 2017, valued at $39,215,820 at the time, from Ivanishvili.