The Tbilisi City Court chose detention as a preventive measure for the former Defense Minister of Georgia, Juansher Burchuladze, accused of corruption.
This was reported by the news agency Interpressnews.
The decision to arrest was made by Judge Ekaterina Barbakadze. This was the preventive measure demanded by the prosecution for the former minister. The defense proposed that the court release Burchuladze on bail of 100,000 lari (more than $37,000).
The State Security Service of Georgia (SSS) detained Burchuladze on September 11. According to the investigation, he, along with several high-ranking employees of the Ministry of Defense and his relative, created an uncompetitive environment for the acquisition of an MRI machine. As a result, the equipment was purchased at the expense of the department for 3.94 million lari (about $1.5 million) with a market price of 2.6 million lari (about $0.9 million).
In addition, the investigation found that in January 2025, Burchuladze purchased a plot of land with a house in Spain for more than €0.5 million to conceal illegal income. In December 2024, his family drew up a fictitious deed of gift of real estate in Georgia to disguise the origin of the money. Burchuladze did not indicate the acquisition of real estate in Spain in his declaration.
The former minister is charged under the Criminal Code of Georgia with legalization of illegal income and abuse of official powers. He faces up to 12 years in prison.
Burchuladze held the post of Defense Minister under the current government (from February 2021 to February 2024), after which he resigned. In July, the SSS reported the detention of Burchuladze’s former deputy Georgi Khaindrava, as well as a relative of the former minister and a former employee of the ministry for the misappropriation of state funds in the amount of more than 1.3 million lari (about $500,000).
