Levan Khabeishvili, a leader of the United National Movement, was arrested
On September 11, the chairman of the Political Council of the United National Movement, Levan Khabeishvili, and opposition politician Murtaz Zodelava were arrested.
According to a statement from the State Security Service (SSU):
“Levan Khabeishvili made public statements on television and social media, calling on law enforcement officers to accept bribes if employees of the Department for Special Tasks refused to perform their duties during anti-government protests or failed to use legally permitted special measures. Khabeishvili publicly promised to pay $200,000 to anyone who carried out such an act.
In addition, Khabeishvili offered $200,000 in bribes to police officers in exchange for providing confidential information and classified materials related to their official duties. He also extended the same offer to employees of the Department for Special Tasks if they refused to participate in training and exercises.”
The investigation against Khabeishvili was launched under Part 2 of Article 339 of the Criminal Code, which covers offering money to an official to commit an illegal act. The crime is punishable by imprisonment for four to seven years.
On September 13, Judge Pikria Sikturashvili ordered Khabeishvili to be held in pre-trial detention. Murtaz Zodelava, who had been detained for concealing a phone, was released on bail of 25,000 GEL.
On the same day, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office also charged Khabeishvili with publicly calling for the overthrow of the state government.
Khabeishvili’s defence argues that his statements were misinterpreted, claiming he had promised the $200,000 as a post-government-change bonus to special forces officers, not as a bribe.
In recent months, Khabeishvili has frequently spoken about internal conflicts within the ruling Georgian Dream party, particularly between the factions of current Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. He also accused Bidzina Ivanishvili of pressuring senior officials enriched through corruption to hand over money to him.
Khabeishvili was also one of the organisers of a rally planned for October 4, to coincide with the local self-government elections. He publicly declared that he intended to “peacefully overthrow” the government on that day.
Former Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze Arrested
The State Security Service arrested former Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on September 11. He has been charged with abuse of power and money laundering, offences that carry a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
According to the State Security Service statement:
“The investigation established that, under the instruction of Burchuladze, and for the purpose of securing personal financial gain for himself and R.M., the then Deputy Minister of Defense, G.Kh., and the then Head of the Procurement Department, V.Gh., with the assistance of the minister’s close relative, V.M., deliberately created a non-competitive environment during the procurement process of a magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) device by the Ministry of Defense. As a result of artificially inflating the price through fraudulent deals, the device, valued at 2,606,272 GEL on the market, was sold to the Ministry of Defence for 3,940,000 GEL, causing a financial loss of 1,333,728 GEL to the ministry.”
On September 13, the court ordered Burchuladze to be held in pre-trial detention as a preventive measure.
During the trial, Burchuladze defended himself, stating:
“I paid for the Spanish house with my mother’s property and by selling my own assets… As for the declaration, this house did not require inclusion in my declaration; I bought it in 2025. I did not conceal this house—I disclosed it myself during the interrogation and presented the contract. There are no witnesses, only an indirect one… You want to send me to prison while I am suffering from a concussion, and I am the father of eight children.”
Burchuladze is widely regarded as part of former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s political team. Some observers believe that the prosecution of Burchuladze may, in fact, be an indirect attempt to target Garibashvili himself.
Zurabishvili: These elections are a “thrown-in topic,” I do not agree with those who participate
The fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, stated that the upcoming elections should never have become the central issue for the opposition.
“The elections in general (I have said this to all political parties) should not have been our topic. It was a thrown-in topic, and there should not have been a division of the opposition over it,” she said.
Zurabishvili emphasised the importance of unity:
“I will be everywhere where there is unity, so I believe that on September 13, there should be very serious unity. There will also be unity on October 4 and… I will be everywhere where everyone is united. Maybe I do not support certain words, because we should not give this government any excuse to spin its destabilisation scenarios, and we know that such scenarios exist.”
She also criticised opposition parties participating in the elections:
“I do not agree with those who are taking sides in these elections. I do not think a boycott was necessary, because these elections do not exist—this is nothing, this is a simulation of elections. Yet, for some reason, opposition parties entered into this topic. Unity is the most important thing—standing together—and this is what will strengthen the attention and support of the United States and the European Union.”
On October 4, Georgia will hold local self-government elections. Several opposition parties, including Lelo – Strong Georgia, Gakharia – For Georgia, and Girchi, plan to participate. Meanwhile, the Coalition for Change, United National Movement, and six other parties have announced a boycott.