Convicted former senior government official Romeo Mikautadze has testified in the trial of former State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) chief Grigol Liluashvili, claiming that he personally handed Liluashvili money allegedly obtained as bribes from businesspeople.
Mikautadze testified remotely during a closed court hearing on Friday.
Following the hearing, prosecutor Mariam Berdzenishvili told reporters that Mikautadze had testified about two alleged bribery episodes involving Liluashvili.
“The witness explained that he personally had contact and dealings with Grigol Liluashvili, including in relation to the sums specified in the charges. He said he was personally instructed to demand specific amounts from businesspeople and that he personally handed the cash directly to Grigol Liluashvili,” Berdzenishvili said.
Mikautadze answered only the prosecution’s questions during Friday’s hearing. The defense is expected to question him at the next hearing, which he will attend in person at the request of Liluashvili’s lawyers.
Defense lawyer Lana Tsertsvadze suggested that prosecutors could be considering a plea agreement with Mikautadze, arguing that his testimony potentially implicates him in the alleged offenses while no new charges have so far been brought against him in connection with these episodes.
Tsertsvadze also argued that there was no objective evidence corroborating Mikautadze’s claims that bribe money had been handed to Liluashvili.
Liluashvili, who formerly headed Georgia’s State Security Service, was arrested on December 23, 2025. He faces bribery charges involving several alleged schemes.
In the first episode, prosecutors allege that in October 2022 Liluashvili received a $1 million bribe from Turkish investor Çağatay Ülker through Mikautadze, who was then First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development. Prosecutors say the payment was made in exchange for lobbying for the signing of a memorandum of cooperation related to the construction of wind power plants.
In a second episode, prosecutors allege that in February 2022, again through Mikautadze, Liluashvili demanded and received GEL 1.5 million from Giorgi Khazhalia, founder of Expressservice 2008, in exchange for assistance with gasification tenders.
The third episode concerns alleged call center operations between 2021 and 2023. Based on witness testimony cited by prosecutors, most of the call centers belonged to a group of individuals who used part of their proceeds to finance various opposition media outlets, while a smaller number were allegedly protected by Liluashvili through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili.
Prosecutors allege that Grigol Liluashvili received approximately $1.365 million in bribes from these operations through Sandro Liluashvili.
Liluashvili has been charged under Article 338 of Georgia’s Criminal Code with accepting particularly large bribes as part of a group acting by prior agreement. The charges carry a potential prison sentence of 11 to 15 years.
Mikautadze, himself a former senior government official, is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.
