A court in Tbilisi has sentenced former Deputy Minister of Economy Romeo Mikautadze to 10 years in prison on corruption charges, and has ordered the confiscation of a range of assets belonging to him that will now be transferred to state ownership. The ruling was issued on March 16 by Judge Nino Galustashvili at the Tbilisi City Court.
Prosecutor Irakli Marshania stated that the court fully accepted the prosecution’s evidence and found Mikautadze guilty on multiple charges, including corruption-related offenses and the legalization of illegal income.
“The court fully accepted the prosecution’s evidence and found Mikautadze guilty on all charges,” Marshania stated to Interpressnews.
As part of the ruling, several of Mikautadze’s assets were confiscated and will be transferred to the state. These include:
- an apartment in Spain,
- three vehicles,
- luxury watches,
- gold bars and coins,
- a 15% share in the company “Nakhidur HPP,” valued at approximately 1.5 million GEL,
- additional property located in Tserovani.
During the final court hearing on March 13, Mikautadze stated that he was willing to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Although he maintains that the charges are unfounded, he said he was prepared, for family reasons, including the expected birth of his grandchild, to admit to a charge, compensate for alleged damages and formalize a procedural agreement with the prosecution.
Despite this statement, the court ultimately delivered a guilty verdict and issued the 10-year prison sentence.
