Former Georgian Prime Minister and Onetime Ally of Country's Richest Man Indicted for Money Laundering

Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has been charged with large-scale money laundering - the first time a senior member of the ruling elite has come under investigation as authorities launch a broader crackdown on opposition leaders.

Garibashvili, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2024, and previously from 2013 to 2015, was a long-time loyal ally of Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire and former prime minister who is considered the de facto ruler of Georgia, Reuters reports.

Georgian officials announced last week that police had searched the homes of Garibashvili and two other longtime associates of Ivanishvili.

On Friday, the state prosecutor announced an indictment for the crime of large-scale money laundering - which carries a penalty of up to 12 years in prison. Garibashvili has not yet commented publicly on the charges or the investigation.

According to Georgian media, the prosecutor's office announced that 6,5 million US dollars in cash were seized from his home.

The country has been in a wave of confrontation with Ivanishvili's pro-Western opponents for more than a year, who have been organizing protests on the streets of Tbilisi for months, accusing his Georgian Dream party of pro-Russian and authoritarian policies.

Although Georgia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Russia, since 2022 it has deepened ties with its northern neighbor, citing "preserving peace above all else."

Several opposition leaders have already ended up in prison, even though Georgia was considered one of the most democratic and pro-Western former Soviet republics for decades.

The indictment against Garibashvili, however, represents the first case in which a member of the ruling elite's inner circle has been prosecuted.

Garibashvili, who is 43, spent almost his entire career working for Ivanishvili's companies, before entering politics as a member of the Georgian Dream party.

In 2023, Garibashvili helped steer Georgia towards an anti-Western course, stating at a conference in Slovakia that "NATO expansion is to blame for Russia's invasion of Ukraine."