New Charges Against Former Aide to Georgian Billionaire
A former aide to Georgia’s ruling party patron, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been charged with negligence. Giorgi Bachiashvili managed Ivanishvili’s co-investment fund from 2013 to 2019.
The prosecutor’s office accuses Bachiashvili of not taking enough measures to prevent risks and dangers in the Mtkvari HEP construction project. The project failed, and Bachiashvili is now charged with negligence under Georgia’s Criminal Code.
Bachiashvili was ordered to pay a bail of 50,000 GEL (around $18,000) on February 25. He believes this is part of an “increased pressure” campaign against him.
The new case is not the first time Bachiashvili has been charged with crimes related to Ivanishvili’s interests. In 2023, he was accused of embezzling 8,253 bitcoins worth $39 million in 2017. He was ordered to pay 2.5 million GEL and banned from leaving the country.
Bachiashvili’s lawyer believes the bail is unfair, as his client has already been banned from leaving the country and had his passports confiscated.