Chairman of Tskaltubo City Assembly detained on bribery charges
Chairman of Tskaltubo City Assembly detained on bribery charges

Grigol Ivaneishvili, Chairman of Tskaltubo City Assembly, got a GEL 250, 000 bribe in exchange for putting a former building of the City Assembly up to auction for a previously negotiated price, – the State Security Service said in a statement on January 25. According to the statement, the detainee faces from 11 to 15 years of imprisonment.

“The officers of Anti-corruption Agency under the State Security Service of Georgia, as result of investigative-searching and operative activities detained Grigol Ivaneishvili, Chairman of Tskaltubo City Assembly, for taking an especially large amount of bribe.

An investigation has established that Grigol Ivaneishvili promised a foreign citizen to put a former building of the City Assembly up to auction for the previously negotiated price and to help him in purchasing the mentioned property, while on exchange for it, Grigol Ivaneishvili asked [the foreign citizen] to pay a GEL 250,000 bribe. Furthermore, upon the initiative of Ivaneishvili, the foreign businessman registered a 16% share of his company on the name of Ivaneishvili’s trusted person as a guarantee for paying the amount of bribe.

“On December 26, 2018 Tskaltubo municipality announced an e-tender on the purchase of a building and a land plot located in the town Tskaltubo, Shanidze str.№1. The foreign businessman participated in the tender and with the assistance of Grigol Ivaneishvili of he was able to purchase the building and the land plot at the preliminary negotiated price. In order to cover-up a crime, Grigol Ivanieshvili 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 has been completed,” the State Security Service statement reads.

An investigation is in progress under Article 338, paragraph 3, sub-paragraph “E” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving a bribe-taking The crime envisages imprisonment from 11 to 15 years.