Searches Conducted at Homes of Gharibashvili, Liluashvili, and Partskhaladze – Prosecutor’s Office
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia, searches were conducted at the residences of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, former Head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili, and former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, as well as at the homes of eight other individuals associated with them. The searches were carried out as part of ongoing investigations into several criminal cases.
“As part of the ongoing investigations conducted by the Anti-Corruption and State Security Departments of the Investigation Unit of the Prosecutor General’s Office, a large-scale operation took place simultaneously at 22 locations across the country starting at 10 a.m. today,” the Chief Prosecutor announced.
“Searches were carried out at the residences, properties, and personal belongings of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, former Head of the State Security Service Grigol Liluashvili, former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, and eight individuals linked to them. Various electronic devices, documents, and large amounts of cash were seized. Investigative and procedural activities are ongoing, and the public will be periodically informed about the progress and results of the investigation.”
Irakli Gharibashvili served as Prime Minister of Georgia from 2013 to 2015 and again from 2021 to 2024. He also held the positions of Minister of Defence (2019–2021) and Minister of Internal Affairs (2012–2013). Throughout his political career, he was widely regarded as one of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s closest allies. Gharibashvili has faced numerous corruption allegations from opposition parties and independent media. Recently, his former Defence Minister, Juansher Burchuladze, was arrested on corruption charges.
Grigol Liluashvili led the State Security Service between 2019 and 2025. Before that, he served as a director in Bidzina Ivanishvili’s business group and was considered part of his inner circle. On September 24, the State Security Service announced that a relative of Liluashvili—himself a former high-ranking official of the agency—was wanted in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme.
Otar Partskhaladze briefly served as Georgia’s Prosecutor General in 2013. Documents obtained by Transparency International Georgia show that Partskhaladze acquired Russian citizenship on February 24, 2021. On September 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Partskhaladze, describing him as a Russian-Georgian oligarch allegedly cooperating with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
Kobakhidze on Banning Parties: “There May Be Up to Ten Parties, Including Smaller Ones”
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that in the coming days, the public will learn which political parties the ruling Georgian Dream party plans to request be banned.
“The Georgian Dream receives 54% in parliamentary elections after 12 years and 82% in local elections after 13 years — why does this happen? Because the alternative on the other side is a criminal, bloody political force, a foreign agency. If there were a healthy political opposition, we might not win 54%, because real competition would emerge. What we are doing is not a matter of subjective political interest — it is an objective step for the country’s well-being. We must heal our political system once and for all, so that a return to power by the collective National Movement does not mean a national catastrophe,” Kobakhidze stated.
On October 16, the Georgian Parliament approved the second reading of legislative amendments related to the banning of political parties.
Under the proposed changes, if a specific political party is banned, its members and affiliated individuals will lose their passive electoral rights, meaning they will no longer be eligible to run for or hold elected office in Georgia’s Parliament or municipal bodies. Furthermore, they will be barred from holding leadership positions in institutions defined by the Constitution, from joining other political parties, and from donating to them.
Any political party that accepts banned individuals as members — thereby violating a Constitutional Court decision — will face criminal penalties, including fines. If a large number of such individuals assume decision-making roles within another party, that party could also face dissolution as a so-called “successor party.”
The Georgian Dream party is reportedly preparing a constitutional lawsuit seeking the prohibition of nearly all major opposition parties. Critics have pointed out that the Constitutional Court—which will decide on the case—is widely viewed as being under full control of the ruling government.
MIA Fines Finnish Foreign Minister for “Unlawful Road Blocking”
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has fined Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Elina Valtonen 5,000 GEL for “unlawful road blocking.”
Valtonen was in Georgia on an official visit, meeting with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili on October 14. Later that evening, she joined demonstrators on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, where she expressed support for their right to peaceful protest.
“Peaceful demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi to express their concern about the repressive direction of the country. They have the full right to democracy, freedom of expression, and basic human rights. We are here to support them,” Valtonen wrote on X (formerly Twitter) from the rally site.
The next day, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze cancelled his scheduled meeting with Valtonen. However, Finland’s leading newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, later reported that, according to Valtonen, she herself cancelled the meeting due to scheduling constraints.
“I had to cancel the meeting to arrive in Azerbaijan on time,” Valtonen told Helsingin Sanomat, adding that the Finnish side had informed their Georgian counterparts of the decision on the night of October 14.
The fine against the Finnish foreign minister has sparked diplomatic tensions and raised eyebrows among international observers, as it is highly unusual for a sitting OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to face administrative penalties during an official visit.
Venice Commission Criticises Georgian Dream Laws
The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, has issued a critical assessment of the Georgian Dream’s “Foreign Agents Registration Act” and other recent legislation.
“Georgian FARA”: The generality of the law allows it to be applied indiscriminately, to a wide range of people, regardless of whether there is a real agentic connection with a foreign actor, which is neither necessary nor proportionate.” It notes that the label “agent of a foreign principal” is “inherently stigmatizing and restricts freedom of expression and association.” Enforcement power is in the hands of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which “lacks sufficient guarantees of independence and political neutrality.”
It creates “the risk of undermining the rule of law, civil space and democratic freedoms.” In addition, it says that its adoption in parallel with the Foreign Transparency Law creates uncertainty. The Venice Commission recommends replacing this law.
Grants Law: The Venice Commission writes that the amendments to the Grants Law, which require the government to consent to foreign grants, lack justification in terms of proportionality and necessity. It notes that these amendments do not clarify clear and objective criteria for refusing to accept foreign grants and “do not contain appropriate safeguards, leaving a wide margin for arbitrary or discriminatory use.”
The Venice Commission also recommends to the Georgian Dream that the process of developing and adopting Georgian legislation in the future be inclusive in order to ensure legitimacy and acceptance by the wider public. The Commission regrets that the Georgian Dream did not wish to be involved in the preparation of this opinion. The Venice Commission stands ready to provide further assistance to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on this issue.
The Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, stated that the Venice Commission’s latest report on the laws recently adopted by the Georgian Dream “is the best example of the Venice Commission becoming a political rather than a legal body.” He said that the government would not repeal these laws.