Gharibashvili Accuses Georgian Dream of Setting 'Inhumane Trap' for Him
By Messenger Staff
Friday, August 21, 2026
Former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, writing from prison, has accused the Georgian Dream authorities of orchestrating a "dirty provocation" against him and pressuring him to admit to corruption.
In a letter published by his family, Gharibashvili said he had followed government statements and media coverage during his eight months in prison but had stayed silent until now. He said recent developments forced him to respond.
Gharibashvili said the letter was delivered to a member of his family by a person close to Georgian Dream parliamentary leader Mamuka Mdinaradze. He said the individual became involved "absolutely by accident" and therefore did not identify him.
Addressing Mdinaradze, Gharibashvili wrote: "If he does not want to harm innocent people, he should stop spreading lies and take full responsibility."
He accused the government of setting a trap for him from the start and said he had trusted the ruling team before being betrayed. He also said authorities targeted his family, saying his home was searched and that his wife, children, parents and in-laws were affected.
Gharibashvili said he endured the situation because of his 20-year relationship with Bidzina Ivanishvili, saying he had "great love, respect, boundless gratitude and absolute loyalty" toward him. He also said he stayed silent out of consideration for his political team and the country.
He said he received a five-year prison sentence because of false assumptions, fears and suspicions within a group in the ruling party.
Gharibashvili said he is now being pressured to admit to corruption in exchange for what he described as an effort to remove the risk of his return to politics. He said the pressure included "immoral blackmail" and said he was again being linked to the arrest of his 75-year-old father.
"You have touched such layers of my heart and soul that you have literally 'exploded' it and left me no other way," he wrote.
Gharibashvili also criticized a campaign against him on television and social media, saying government officials, experts and spokespeople were spreading false narratives.
"Be careful, you will soon be ashamed of your own statements when you realize my truth," he wrote.
He rejected claims that he had betrayed the country, Georgian Dream or Ivanishvili, saying he remained the same person who served the state and the ruling team.
"I am not fighting anyone and I am not fighting against anyone; I am only defending myself and my family," he said.
