In a widely anticipated statement published on August 18, jailed former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili alleged that the “anti-corruption battle” launched last year sought his “political destruction,” noting Mamuka Mdinaradze was the one who sent him a “letter” about confessing to a corruption case. Garibashvili announced his intention to fight.
The statement came a day after his previous post, where the ex-PM shared a fragment of a “letter” he said was sent to him “on [Bidzina] Ivanishvili’s instruction.” The letter, with the author unknown, warned of forthcoming corruption charges, offering as one option that “we confess” to one of such cases, with the confession intended to spare him additional prison years but also to serve as a guarantee that Garibashvili would not consider returning to politics after his release from prison.
In the August 17 post, Garibashvili also pledged to reveal his “truth” the next day, and said Ivanishvili and the Georgian Dream government bear responsibility for his and his family’s safety.
In the August 18 statement, Garibashvili says that the alleged letter was sent to him in July by Mamuka Mdinaradze, the current Regional Development Minister who till late July served as State Minister for Coordination of Law Enforcement Bodies.
The new statement does not explicitly mention Bidzina Ivanishvili, the ruling Georgian Dream party’s billionaire founder and honorary chairman, but refers to “a person dear to me.” Garibashvili also does not explicitly name the group or persons who have been seeking his “political destruction.”
August 18 Statement
In the four-paragraph statement, Garibashvili writes:
“I want to tell the public the truth on why I am in prison. The main goal of the so-called ‘fight against corruption’ campaign launched last year was my imprisonment and political destruction. I state with full responsibility that I did everything I could to avoid entering into a confrontation with the team and with a person dear to me. Precisely with this goal, I refused to engage in a legal battle and followed through with a process that was destructive for me, so as not to harm the interests of the state and the team.”
He then argues that, in turn, he was only subjected to “staged dirty provocation, many lies and injustice,” adding that the public “did not hear a single word” from him through all this time and that he “endured this ordeal with complete patience.”
“But unexpectedly to me, in July, I received the letter I published yesterday, which was sent to me by Mamuka Mdinaradze. That same day, I made my position clear to him, reiterating that I had no intention of returning to politics, and, in order to address the aforementioned ‘risk,’ I offered him my own vision,” the statement reads. “In response, however, I was told by them that there remained a 1 percent risk that I might return to politics, and that, for that, it was necessary to bring a corruption charge against me and for me to confess to it.”
According to Garibashvili, this was “the red line” which pushed him to “take the most difficult step” in his life. “Accordingly, as I have no other choice, they force me to start fighting…” he concludes.
Money Laundering Case
Garibashvili currently serves a five-year sentence following a plea deal in a money laundering case, which came amid a series of prosecutions and a declared anti-corruption drive by Georgian Dream targeting former officials and business associates linked to the ruling party. One of Ivanishvili’s closest aides prior to coming to politics, he served as Georgian prime minister twice, from 2013 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2024.
Garibashvili announced quitting the ruling party and politics in April 2025, about a year after Irakli Kobakhidze succeeded him as prime minister. He was charged with money laundering in October 2025, shortly after officials said to have seized over USD 7 million in cash and valuables after searching dozens of homes belonging to former officials, including Garibashvili. Officials said at the time Garibashvili “admitted to receiving illicit income over the years,” including while serving as prime minister. Garibashvili’s defense had argued at the time that the reported confession did not amount to “admitting to corruption.”
Commenting on Garibashvili’s August 17 statement, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters on August 18 that he “does not know” what it is about, calling it “very problematic,” yet “not for us, but for him.” Kobakhidze also said it was “difficult to imagine” Garibashvili’s political plans since he “had admitted to a corruption crime.”
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