US EditionEx-aide to Georgia's most powerful man detained after fleeing fraud trial
- Georgian authorities arrested Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former aide to Bidzina Ivanishvili, near the southern border on May 26, 2025.
- In March, Bachiashvili secretly left Georgia by concealing himself in a vehicle to cross into Armenia, before traveling to another country, amid allegations of embezzlement connected to a 2015 loan from Ivanishvili’s Cartu Bank.
- He was convicted in absentia for defrauding over $800 million in cryptocurrency from Ivanishvili and sentenced to 11 years, while Transparency International noted a lack of evidence against him.
- Bachiashvili denies wrongdoing, calling the case politically motivated due to his break with Ivanishvili and his public support for Ukraine, while his lawyer Robert Amsterdam said he was forcibly returned and faces risk of torture.
- The case highlights tensions surrounding Ivanishvili's influence as Georgia's de facto leader, amid his crackdown on opposition and the government's paused EU talks, suggesting political motives behind the prosecution.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Ex-aide to Georgia's most powerful man detained after fleeing fraud trial
Georgian authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested an ex-aide to Georgia's most powerful man who fled the country earlier this year while on trial on charges of embezzling cryptocurrency worth more than $800 million from his former boss.
Ivanishvili's Former 'Right-Hand Man' Arrested Months After Fleeing Georgia
A former close associate of Georgian ruling-party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili has been arrested near the border with Armenia, authorities said, a few months after he fled the country in secret during a criminal prosecution he says is politically motivated.
Former Ivanishvili Aide Giorgi Bachiashvili Arrested
Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former aide to Georgian Dream founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, was arrested, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) reported on May 27. According to the official statement, “the SSSG received an anonymous tip” on May 26 alleging that Bachiashvili, a convicted dual citizen of Georgia and Russia, wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, has been spotted near the so-called “green border” between Red Bridge and S…
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