Amid ongoing arrests of former high-ranking officials, Georgian law enforcement detained former Deputy Health Minister Ilia Ghudushauri on charges of abuse of power. The detention follows the earlier arrest of his brother, a former state official, on embezzlement charges.
The Investigative Service of the Finance Ministry announced Ghudushauri’s detention on Tuesday, linking the charges to an alleged wrongdoing dating back to September 2022, when he served as Deputy Health Minister and chaired the procurement tender committee of the same ministry.
According to the agency, Ghudushauri unlawfully halted a tender declared at the time for the purchase of emergency vehicles, sidelining the company that offered the ministry the lowest price and illegally giving preference to a company of his choice.
‘On 10 May 2023, a new tender was announced at [Ghudushauri’s] instruction, with conditions tailored to a specific bidder, preventing other companies from participating’, the investigative service added.
The investigators noted the ministry unjustifiably paid the preselected company more than ₾1.1 million ($409,000) thereby ‘substantially violating the state’s lawful interests’.
If convicted, the former deputy minister, who held the post from 2022 to 2024, faces three to five years in prison, or a fine.
Ghudushauri’s detention is the latest in a series of probes and criminal cases related to corruption that have been launched against former officials who served under the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
Among the most high-profile cases is that of former Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, who on 12 January was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering. Other senior officials from Gharibashvili’s tenure were also caught up in the wave of arrests, including former Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze and his deputy, as well as the former Economy and Infrastructure deputies.
One such episode involved Ghudushauri’s brother, Vladimer Ghudushauri, former head of the Defence Ministry’s procurement department. He was detained in July on embezzlement charges, along with other members of Burchuladze’s circle, and released in October on bail.
Members of Georgian Dream have insisted the arrests were part of a fight against corruption, even if the case involved a current or former ally.
However, critics including opposition figures and civil society activists have expressed doubt the government was genuine about combating corruption, instead suggesting it could be part of a power struggle within the ruling party.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
