Journalist Eliso Kiladze Denies Charges in 'Call Center' Case
By Messenger Staff
Friday, February 20, 2026
Investigative journalist Eliso Kiladze, who was detained in a large-scale fraud and money laundering case, told the Tbilisi City Court on February 19 that the charges against her are a retaliatory strike for her investigative work. Kiladze, founder of the media outlet Qronika+, is accused of being part of an organized group that allegedly operated fraudulent call centers to steal approximately $9.5 million from foreign citizens.
During the hearing, Kiladze protested the prosecution's motion to close the proceedings to the public. "Why should the session be closed when I am a journalist? My colleagues are sitting in the hall. I want to speak to these people directly and openly. Our profession implies publicity," Kiladze stated.
Kiladze argued that she is being prosecuted for the very activity she pioneered: exposing illegal call center schemes. She claimed her arrest was orchestrated to prevent her from revealing new details about separate corruption cases and the murder of Levan Jangveladze.
"I know very well that the head of the State Security Service, Mamuka Mdinaradze, is interested in me. The chief prosecutor is his friend," Kiladze told the court. She also repeated claims that she had uncovered evidence of Mdinaradze possessing 241 bitcoins in an electronic wallet. Kiladze insisted she does not know most of her alleged co-conspirators, including fugitive former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze. "I do not know Otar Partskhaladze. I do not know Mikheil Chokheli. I met Giorgi Mikadze at the trial," she said.
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze dismissed Kiladze's claims as an attempt to use her profession as a shield against criminal liability. "When committing a specific crime, politics and the so-called media are sometimes a refuge for some people, which is a fact in the case of Eliso Kiladze," Kobakhidze said.
Kobakhidze characterized her allegations against the State Security Service chief as "absurd," noting that Kiladze had made similar claims a year ago without providing evidence. "If she had something, of course, she would have published it. From a practical point of view, her statement was absurd," he added.
The Prosecutor General's Office has charged ten individuals in total, alleging they ran a structured criminal network between 2020 and 2023. While some defendants are cooperating with the state, the prosecution is seeking pretrial detention for Kiladze and those currently in hiding, including Partskhaladze. The charges carry a potential sentence of 9 to 12 years in prison.
