Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former aide to powerful figure Bidzina Ivanishvili, was released after pleading guilty and receiving a reduced sentence: a one-year suspended term and a 50,000 lari fine (about $18,900). He had been convicted in absentia after fleeing a trial over the alleged embezzlement of roughly $39 million in Bitcoin linked to a 2015 Cartu Bank loan. Authorities later arrested and returned him to Tbilisi and added 4½ years for illegal border crossing; his lawyers say he was returned "forcibly" and faced a risk of torture. Prosecutors also dropped charges against his elderly parents related to alleged laundering of about $3.5 million.
Former Aide to Georgia’s Most Powerful Figure Released After Guilty Plea; Sentence Reduced
Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former aide to Georgian Dream party founder and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, attends a court hearing in Tbilisi, Georgia May 29, 2025. Bachiashvili fled the country earlier this year while on trial on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze
TBILISI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Giorgi Bachiashvili, a one-time aide to influential Georgian figure Bidzina Ivanishvili, was released on Wednesday after entering a guilty plea that substantially reduced his prison sentence, Georgian media reported, citing his lawyer.
Prosecutors said Bachiashvili, who had previously denied the charges as politically motivated, fully admitted guilt under a plea agreement that cut a more-than-15-year sentence to a one-year suspended term and imposed a 50,000 lari fine (about $18,900).
Background And Allegations
Bachiashvili, who formerly managed Ivanishvili's investment fund, was convicted in absentia after fleeing the country while on trial over allegations that he embezzled Bitcoin worth roughly $39 million. Prosecutors say the digital currency was linked to a 2015 loan from Ivanishvili’s Cartu Bank that Bachiashvili intended to use to launch a cryptocurrency-mining operation.
Capture, Return And Additional Charges
Georgian authorities say he fled overland into Armenia and later a third country; less than three months after his escape they arrested him near Georgia’s southern border and returned him to Tbilisi. He was given an additional 4½-year sentence for illegal border crossing. One of his lawyers, Robert Amsterdam, has said Bachiashvili was returned "forcibly" and faced a risk of torture.
"He was returned forcibly and at risk of torture," said lawyer Robert Amsterdam, according to earlier reports.
Family Charges Dropped And Oversight Concerns
Prosecutors also dropped earlier charges against Bachiashvili’s elderly parents, who had been accused of helping to launder about $3.5 million in cryptocurrency. The Georgian branch of Transparency International has said there is insufficient evidence against Bachiashvili and suggested the case may reflect Ivanishvili’s financial interests.
Context: Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream party and widely seen as the country’s de facto leader, has been credited with steering Georgia toward a more pro-Russian direction since the outbreak of the Ukraine war while also taking a tougher stance against domestic opposition.
Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Ros Russell.
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