Garibashvili served as prime minister from 2021 to 2024, as well as previously from 2013 to 2015, and has long been considered a close ally of Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire and former prime minister who is often considered Georgia’s de facto ruler, Reuters reports.
His arrest and prison sentence represent the first case of a senior member of the ruling elite facing criminal prosecution as part of a wider crackdown on opposition leaders.
In October, the prosecution and the police searched Garibashvili’s home, as well as the homes of two other Ivanishvili associates, and announced that they found $6.5 million in cash in the former business executive’s residence.
Garibashvili has not publicly announced the raid or the charges, and was not available for comment today. His lawyer told local media that he had been taken into custody.
The prosecution announced that Garibashvili will also be fined $375,230.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
