Prosecutor Defends Corruption Charges Against Former Defense Officials, Cites Operational Evidence
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Prosecutor Irakli Marshania has defended the Georgian Prosecutor's Office's decision to charge three individuals in a high-profile corruption case involving the Ministry of Defense, rejecting claims that the case lacks evidence.
"To claim that there is no evidence in the case is an unfounded position," Marshania told journalists. "All investigative leads will be explored, including an evaluation of [Juansher Burchuladze's] actions during the investigation process."
The investigation, launched based on operational intelligence rather than a formal complaint, focuses on alleged misappropriation of over 1.3 million GEL during a 2023 procurement of an MRI machine for a military hospital.
According to prosecutors, the accused are former Deputy Minister of Defense Giorgi Khaindrava, former head of the Ministry's Procurement Department Vladimer Ghudushauri, and Vasil Mkheidze, a relative of then-Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze. The three are accused of creating a non-competitive procurement environment that resulted in an inflated price for the equipment.
"They created a non-competitive environment, and expensive medical equipment - a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine - was purchased. Approximately more than 1.3 million GEL of state budget funds were misappropriated," Marshania said.
He added that the prosecution has collected significant material evidence, including falsified documents and an expert report, which support the charges.
"It is not mandatory for someone to come forward and report a specific fact in a corruption case. In this case, there was relevant operational information," he noted.
When asked whether former Defense Minister Burchuladze had been questioned, Marshania declined to answer, citing the need to protect the integrity of the investigation. "I cannot comment further on who we have questioned, the directions we are pursuing, or the leads we are exploring, due to the interests of the investigation," he said.
The charges fall under Article 182 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which deals with group misappropriation of large sums through abuse of official position and aiding in such crimes. The offense carries a potential prison sentence of seven to eleven years.
On Monday, a Tbilisi court granted the prosecution's motion to detain all three accused individuals as a preventive measure, citing risks of witness tampering, destruction of evidence, and flight.
According to the indictment, Khaindrava and Ghudushauri allegedly conspired with Mkheidze to inflate the value of the MRI machine through fictitious transactions, facilitating the embezzlement of 1,333,728 GEL from the state budget.
