Georgia’s Public Defender has begun examining the allegations of pressure, blackmail and coercion raised in the latest public statement by jailed former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who is serving a five-year prison term in a money laundering case and is currently on trial on new bribery charges.
The office said in a November 10 statement that the Public Defender would contact the relevant agencies to inquire whether investigations had been launched into the “alleged pressure, blackmail and coercion” described in the statement, and whether any action had been taken.
The ombudsperson is also set to examine other alleged rights violations raised in the statement, including the legal grounds for closing the court hearing, the defense’s submission of evidence, and access to case files.
In his latest Facebook statement on November 9, Garibashvili addressed the Tbilisi City Court’s decision to close the hearings, which began on November 2, saying that he wanted to speak publicly about “political persecution and pressure” against him.
“Closing court hearings when analogous cases were heard in open proceedings amounts to discrimination, a manifestation of double standards, and a gross violation of the fundamental principle of publicity of justice,” he said. He described the proceedings as “shadow justice” and “an attempt to remove public oversight,” and said the decision was “dictated by fear and aimed at keeping the process in darkness.” “I have nothing to hide,” he added.
Garibashvili said that at the closed hearing he informed the judge about “psychological terror and combined crime,” including psychological pressure and torture, mental and moral suffering, coercion, and obstruction of political activity, which he said violate Articles 3, 6 and 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
One of the closest aides of Georgian Dream’s billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, before entering politics, Garibashvili served as prime minister in 2013–2015 and 2021–2024. In January, he was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering, in a series of prosecutions of former officials and business associates linked to the ruling party that came as part of Georgian Dream’s claimed anti-corruption drive.
The statement follows a series of statements and letters from prison in which Garibashvili has alleged pressure and blackmail. On August 17, Garibashvili said he had received a letter sent “on the instruction” of Ivanishvili, warning of a forthcoming corruption case and offering him another plea deal if he confessed to a forthcoming case. A day later, he named now-former Georgian Dream official Mamuka Mdinaradze as the sender and said the anti-corruption drive was aimed at his “political destruction.” On August 20, he accused the government of setting a trap and terrorizing his family, saying he had stayed silent out of “absolute loyalty” to Ivanishvili.
On August 24, the Prosecutor’s Office charged him with accepting a particularly large bribe as a public official, as part of a group acting on a prior agreement. He faces 11 to 15 years in prison if convicted.
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