According to the lawyer of former Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, Mikheil Shakulashvili, the Prosecutor’s Office has partially accepted the evidence presented by the defense, resulting in a change to the wording of the charges against Garibashvili.

As the lawyer explained, Garibashvili remains charged under Article 194, Part Three, Subparagraph “c” of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

According to Shakulashvili, the case now concerns Garibashvili’s failure to declare income received from the wine industry. He stressed that this does not constitute an official or abuse-of-office crime.

“An important decision was made today. Part of the evidence we submitted was accepted, including documentation related to bank agreements, factory payments, and financial operations. As a result, the portion of the charge related to the factory itself has been removed. The remaining charge concerns undeclared income from the wine business. This is the offense to which Mr. Garibashvili pleaded guilty,” Shakulashvili stated.

The lawyer emphasized that the offense falls within the category of financial crimes and is not related to public service.

“When a business operates, including the wine industry, it must submit monthly and annual tax declarations. Since these declarations were not submitted, this constitutes a crime. The income was not hidden; legally, this is classified as legalization of illegal income,” he said.

According to the plea agreement, Garibashvili was sentenced to five years in prison, fined one million GEL, and property confiscation is expected, including vehicles.

Shakulashvili also stated that Garibashvili has not testified against anyone and does not plan to do so.

“He cooperated voluntarily. He has not given testimony against any person and has no intention of doing so,” the lawyer said.

He reiterated that Garibashvili pleaded guilty to so-called money laundering, after which he was imprisoned, fined, and had his vehicles confiscated.

The lawyer added that approximately 6.5 million US dollars seized from Garibashvili’s residence has been confiscated and transferred to the state budget.

“In addition, items such as gold, watches, and flash drives seized during the search did not belong to Mr. Garibashvili,” Shakulashvili noted.

According to the lawyer, Garibashvili, like other convicted individuals, has the right to apply for early release or a presidential pardon, although no such request has been made.

“No such intention has been expressed,” Shakulashvili said.

Earlier today, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia announced that a plea agreement had been reached with former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, under which he was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.