Bidzina Ivanishvili testified remotely in the trial of Giorgi Bachiashvili at Tbilisi City Court. However, according to Bachiashvili, the key witness avoided providing detailed answers, claiming to not recall specifics.
Bachiashvili is accused of misappropriating 8,986 Bitcoins, worth $43 million, in 2017, and only returning $636,900 to the investor while denying all charges. The case carries a potential prison sentence of 9 to 12 years.
“He insisted he was merely an investor and wouldn’t have loaned me money, portraying the idea as senseless,” Bachiashvili said. He also alleged that Ivanishvili made threats concerning other legal and contractual matters related to the Co-Investment Fund.
Despite this, the prosecution viewed Ivanishvili’s testimony as critical, asserting that it reinforced the claim of Bitcoin misappropriation and money laundering. “His statements clarified key factual circumstances, aligning with documented evidence and previous witness testimonies,” said prosecutor Mikheil Sadradze.
Teimuraz Tsikvadze, Ivanishvili’s lawyer, minimized the defense’s argument by asserting the case’s simplicity. “When someone lacks capital, collateral, and investment risks, they cannot be considered an investor,” he contended.
