State Security Service categorically denies Tskaltubo Municipality Assembly’s former chairperson’s, Grigol Ivaneishvili’s accusations disseminated through one of the media outlets. The mentioned accusations do not have any legal ground and this is confirmed by a court decision ruled out in relation to the case.
Tbilisi City Court found the former chairperson of Tskaltubo Municipality Assembly guilty on charges of taking bribe in especially large quantities and sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment.

State Security Service had launched investigation against Grigol Ivaneishvili on the basis of foreign businessman’s claim. Investigation established, that Grigol Ivaneishvili promised a foreign businessman to put up the former building of Tskaltubo Municipality Assembly located in the town of Tskaltubo on the auction for a preliminary negotiated price and promised assistance in terms of purchasing the mentioned property through the mentioned auction. In return, Ivaneishvili demanded bribe in amount of GEL 250 000.

As soon as the foreign businessman understood, that besides paying the official auction payments, handing out additional sum in amount of GEL 250 000 demanded for his own purposes, might had been an act punishable by Georgian legislation, he submitted a request to Anti-corruption Agency of the State Security Service and expressed wish to cooperate.

Furthermore, upon the initiative of Ivaneishvili, the foreign businessman registered a 16% share of his company in the name of Ivaneishvili’s confidant as a guarantee that the sum demanded as a bribe would be paid. In order to cover-up a crime, Grigol Ivaneishvili signed a fictitious loan agreement with a foreign businessman and made the latter transfer GEL 250 000 to the account of his son. The officers of Anti-corruption Agency under the State Security Service of Georgia detained the chairman of Tskaltubo Municipality Assembly Grigol Ivaneishvili on January 25, 2019, as soon as the mentioned transfer had been completed.

It is worth mentioning, that another detainee within the case of Grigol Ivaneishvili, deputy head of Vake district, Teimuraz Chochua, who had been accused of providing assistance in bribe-taking, has fully admitted his guilt.