Former Georgian Defense Minister Faces Up to 12 Years in Prison for Abuse of Office and Money Laundering

The Prosecutor General's Office of Georgia has accused former Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze of abuse of office and money laundering. The agency is preparing to appeal to the court to demand that he be taken into custody.

According to the investigation, the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service established that in 2023, Burchuladze used his position to obtain benefits for himself and his relatives. In particular, when purchasing medical equipment for a military hospital, an uncompetitive environment was created, which allowed the cost of the device to be inflated from 2.6 million to 3.9 million lari. The damage to the state amounted to more than 1.3 million lari.

The investigation also believes that the former minister tried to conceal the illegal origin of the funds. In January 2025, he and his wife purchased real estate in Spain for 544 thousand euros, having previously drawn up a fictitious contract for the sale and purchase of a house in Tskneti. As a result, this amount was legalized, and the real estate itself was not indicated in the official's property declaration in March 2025.

The charges were brought under the articles of the Criminal Code of Georgia on abuse of office and legalization of illegal income. The maximum punishment for them is imprisonment for up to 12 years.

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