“Giorgi Bachiashvili has been detained,” the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said in an official statement.

The SSSG reports that Bachiashvili, previously an aide and financial advisor to Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili and former head of the Co-Investment Fund, was discovered near the so-called Green Border section between Tsiteli Khidi (Red Bridge, a border crossing between Georgia and Azerbaijan) and Sadakhlo (Georgia-Armenia border crossing).

“On May 26, 2025, an anonymous report was made to the State Security Service, which revealed that Giorgi Bachiashvili, a dual citizen of Georgia and the Russian Federation, wanted and convicted by a red notice, was moving near the so-called Green Border section between Tsiteli Khidi and Sadakhlo.

Following investigative and operational-search measures, the wanted individual was apprehended,” the SSSG statement reads.

According to the agency, the Anti-Corruption Department of the State Security Service is probing into the case under Article 344, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which pertains to illegal border crossing. This offence carries a penalty of imprisonment for three to five years.

“The State Security Service expresses its gratitude to the personnel of the relevant units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their assistance,” the SSSG said in a statement.

Shortly following the detention report, law firm Amsterdam & Partners has issued a statement asserting that their client, Giorgi Bachiashvili, faces a risk of torture following his forced return to Georgia on May 26, 2025. The firm’s international legal team will pursue all legal avenues to hold Georgia accountable for its unlawful actions, protest the ongoing miscarriage of justice, and seek compensation for Bachiashvili’s arbitrary detention and ill-treatment. Robert Amsterdam condemned the use of legal mechanisms to punish his client for speaking out, stating: “I strongly condemn the ongoing instrumentalisation of law and abuse of international legal cooperation to silence my client.”

The lawyers state Bachiashvili is reportedly the target of political persecution “orchestrated by Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s de facto ruler.” The criminal proceedings against him, including outdated charges linked to legitimate business activities from a decade ago, exemplify how justice is used as a tool of political control. His forced return endangers him with immediate risks of detention, interrogation, and mistreatment.

“Georgia must uphold its obligations to ensure judicial independence and protect the fundamental rights of Bachiashvili and others facing politically motivated prosecution,” the statement by Amsterdam & Partners emphasized.

Bachiashvili left Georgia on March 9, 2025, in violation of bail conditions that barred him from leaving the country. Previously, Tbilisi City Court sentenced him to 11 years in prison for embezzling cryptocurrency from Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream.  Bachiashvili received a 10-year sentence for embezzling funds and an additional year for the legalisation of illegal income, totalling 11 years in prison.