The Former Head of the State Security Service of Georgia has been Arrested. On December 23, the former head of the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia, Grigol Liluashvili, was detained, as announced by Prosecutor General Giorgi Gvarakidze during a briefing. "He is charged with accepting bribes in several pending criminal cases," Gvarakidze stated.

The first episode: In October 2022, according to investigators, Liluashvili, acting through the then-First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Romeo Mikautadze, received a $1 million bribe from Turkish investor Çağatay Ülker to lobby for the signing of a cooperation memorandum related to the construction of wind farms.

The second episode: In February 2022, also through Romeo Mikautadze, the prosecutor's office alleges that he demanded and received 1.5 million lari from Giorgi Khazhalia, founder of Express-Service 2008, in exchange for assistance in gasification tenders.

The third episode: From 2021 to 2023, several dozen fraudulent call centers operated in the country, according to the prosecutor's office. According to witness testimony, most of these call centers belonged to a group of individuals "who used the proceeds to finance various opposition media outlets, while the primary patron of a relatively small number of call centers was Grigol Liluashvili, who managed these activities through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili." As a result of this criminal activity, Grigol Liluashvili received approximately $1,365,000 in bribes through Sandro Liluashvili, the department said in a statement. The investigation, according to the prosecutor's office, while gathering evidence against other individuals involved in the criminal scheme, "is actively developing a theory that Grigol Liluashvili, together with his accomplices, concealed the existence of fraudulent call centers that financed opposition media. Opposition media, in turn, failed to report on the call centers under Liluashvili's patronage, despite having relevant information."

Episode four: According to the prosecutor's office, Grigol Liluashvili used his official position to protect his friend, Kakha Gvantseladze, former director of the Tbilisi City Hall's Kindergarten Management Agency, in exchange for bribes. Gvantseladze reportedly received particularly large bribes, or so-called "kickbacks," from entrepreneurs when concluding procurement contracts for kindergartens. "Kakhber Gvantseladze also involved agency employees responsible for financial accounting, settlements, and monitoring in the aforementioned Liluashvili-Gvantseladze criminal scheme. Criminal charges have been issued against all of them... Hundreds of investigative actions have been conducted in the criminal case, including the questioning of witnesses whose testimony confirms the commission of crimes by Grigol Liluashvili and other individuals. Various pieces of evidence, including video and audio recordings, have also been seized," the prosecutor stated.

Liluashvili has been charged under Article 338 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which covers the acceptance of a bribe on an especially large scale by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, an offense punishable by 11 to 15 years in prison. At least two people from Liluashvili's inner circle were previously detained: Koba Khundadze, a high-ranking official in the Department of Railways, and businessman Andria (Sandro) Liluashvili, a relative of Grigol Liluashvili. Additionally, businessman Bichiko Paikidze was arrested in Spain at the request of the prosecutor's office and is awaiting extradition. Grigol Liluashvili is the godfather of Paikidze's son.

Georgian authorities previously announced the resolution of several high-profile anti-corruption cases. Former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is accused of money laundering on an especially large scale. The court ordered him to post bail of 1 million lari. Garibashvili's trial will take place on February 12, 2026.