Former Georgian Defence Minister Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
Tbilisi, Georgia – Former Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Tbilisi City Court on Thursday, following a conviction for abuse of power and money laundering. Judge Irakli Khuskivadze delivered the verdict. Alongside Burchuladze, his former deputy Giorgi Khaindrava and brother-in-law Vasil Mkheidze received eight-year prison sentences in the same case.
Vladimer Ghudushauri, previously head of the Defence Ministry’s procurement department, accepted a plea agreement and was given a suspended sentence and bail. Burchuladze served as defence minister from February 2021 to February 2024 under Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. The case centers around allegations of manipulating a procurement deal for medical equipment, specifically an MRI machine.
Investigators claim the price of the machine was inflated from 2.6 million Georgian lari ($970,000) to 3.9 million lari ($1.5 million), resulting in a loss of 1.3 million lari ($500,000) from the state budget. Burchuladze is accused of concealing illicit income through the purchase of property in Spain, including land and a house valued at €544,000 ($640,000). The State Security Service (SSG) detained Burchuladze and the other defendants in September 2025, following the arrests of Khaindrava, Mkheidze, and Ghudushauri in July.
The SSG alleged manipulation of the procurement deal for personal gain. This prosecution is part of a broader wave of corruption investigations targeting former senior officials within the ruling Georgian Dream party, including Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili and the head of the SSG, Grigol Liluashvili. Other individuals, such as Ilia Ghudushauri and Romeo Mikautadze, have also faced corruption charges.
Despite claims of a commitment to fighting corruption, the ongoing investigations have raised concerns among opposition figures and civil society activists.
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