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The Sun
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Georgia arrests fugitive ex-aide of ruling party founder
TBILISI: Georgia on Tuesday announced the arrest of the former top aide to the country's richest man and ruling party founder, as his lawyers warned he risked torture after being forcibly returned. Giorgi Bachiashvili used to be the right-hand man to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party, who is widely believed to be the de facto ruler of the mountainous Caucasus nation. Bachiashvili, who once headed the tycoon's Co-Investment Fund, fled Georgia in early March amid mounting legal troubles. He has called his former boss Ivanishvili a 'power-drunk criminal' who 'is trading away the future of our country.' Sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison for alleged embezzlement and money laundering, he has accused Ivanishvili of threatening to 'crush' him in prison. On Tuesday, Georgia's State Security Service said Bachiashvili 'a dual Georgian-Russian national, wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, was arrested on Monday after an anonymous tip placed him near the neutral zone' at the border with Azerbaijan. But Bachiashvili's lawyers claimed that he was 'forcibly returned' to Georgia under murky circumstances and now faces an 'imminent risk of torture.' His lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, condemned the arrest, accusing Georgian authorities of misusing international legal mechanisms to target political opponents. The dramatic arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of Ivanishvili's influence in Georgian politics and business. Georgia has been rocked by protests since Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October parliamentary elections rejected as rigged by the pro-Western opposition, then shelved talks on joining the European Union. Critics also accuse the government of sliding into authoritarianism and tilting the former Soviet republic back towards Russian influence -- an allegation it denies.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Georgia Arrests Ex-Aide of Ruling Party Founder
TBILISI: Georgia on Tuesday announced the arrest of the former top aide to the country's richest man and ruling party founder, as his lawyers warned he risked torture after being forcibly returned. Giorgi Bachiashvili used to be the right-hand man to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party, who is widely believed to be the de facto ruler of the mountainous Caucasus nation. Bachiashvili, who once headed the tycoon's Co-Investment Fund, fled Georgia in early March amid mounting legal troubles. He has called his former boss Ivanishvili a 'power-drunk criminal' who 'is trading away the future of our country.' Sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison for alleged embezzlement and money laundering, he has accused Ivanishvili of threatening to 'crush' him in prison. On Tuesday, Georgia's State Security Service said Bachiashvili 'a dual Georgian-Russian national, wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, was arrested on Monday after an anonymous tip placed him near the neutral zone' at the border with Azerbaijan. But Bachiashvili's lawyers claimed that he was 'forcibly returned' to Georgia under murky circumstances and now faces an 'imminent risk of torture.' His lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, condemned the arrest, accusing Georgian authorities of misusing international legal mechanisms to target political opponents. The dramatic arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of Ivanishvili's influence in Georgian politics and business. Georgia has been rocked by protests since Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream party claimed victory in October parliamentary elections rejected as rigged by the pro-Western opposition, then shelved talks on joining the European Union. Critics also accuse the government of sliding into authoritarianism and tilting the former Soviet republic back towards Russian influence -- an allegation it denies.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-aide to Georgia's most powerful man detained after fleeing fraud trial
By Felix Light TBILISI (Reuters) -Georgian authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested an ex-aide to Georgia's most powerful man who fled the country earlier this year while on trial on charges of embezzling cryptocurrency worth more than $800 million from his former boss. Giorgi Bachiashvili, who says the charges were politically motivated, was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison for defrauding Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire former prime minister who is widely seen as Georgia's de facto leader. Bachiashvili, who used to run Ivanishvili's investment fund, denies wrongdoing and has said the case aimed to punish him for breaking with Ivanishvili by publicly supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. Georgia's State Security Service, in a statement published on Facebook, said it had arrested Bachiashvili near the country's southern borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan after receiving an anonymous tip-off. It said that Bachiashvili was under investigation for illegal border crossing. Authorities have said he fled Georgia in March by hiding inside a car before crossing into Armenia and then moving onto a third country. Robert Amsterdam, one of Bachiashvili's lawyers, said in a statement published on his firm's website that Bachiashvili had been returned to Georgia "forcibly" and that he was at risk of torture. The embezzlement charges related to a 2015 loan from Ivanishvili's Cartu Bank, which Bachiashvili had sought to establish a cryptocurrency mining business. The Georgian branch of anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has said that there is a lack of evidence against Bachiashvili, and that the case appears to reflect Ivanishvili's financial interests. Ivanishvili, who is seen as controlling the ruling Georgian Dream party he founded, has steered traditionally pro-Western Georgia in a more pro-Russian direction since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, while clamping down on opposition at home. In December, he was sanctioned by the United States over a crackdown on protesters opposed to the Georgian government's freezing of European Union accession talks until 2028. The billionaire rarely appears in public, and has not commented on his former aide's flight or subsequent arrest.
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Ex-aide to Georgia's most powerful man detained after fleeing fraud trial
FILE PHOTO: Founder of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili speaks after the announcement of exit poll results in parliamentary elections, at the Georgian Dream party headquarters in Tbilisi, Georgia October 26, 2024. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo TBILISI - Georgian authorities said on Tuesday they had arrested an ex-aide to Georgia's most powerful man who fled the country earlier this year while on trial on charges of embezzling cryptocurrency worth more than $800 million from his former boss. Giorgi Bachiashvili, who says the charges were politically motivated, was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison for defrauding Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire former prime minister who is widely seen as Georgia's de facto leader. Bachiashvili, who used to run Ivanishvili's investment fund, denies wrongdoing and has said the case aimed to punish him for breaking with Ivanishvili by publicly supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. Georgia's State Security Service, in a statement published on Facebook, said it had arrested Bachiashvili near the country's southern borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan after receiving an anonymous tip-off. It said that Bachiashvili was under investigation for illegal border crossing. Authorities have said he fled Georgia in March by hiding inside a car before crossing into Armenia and then moving onto a third country. Robert Amsterdam, one of Bachiashvili's lawyers, said in a statement published on his firm's website that Bachiashvili had been returned to Georgia "forcibly" and that he was at risk of torture. The embezzlement charges related to a 2015 loan from Ivanishvili's Cartu Bank, which Bachiashvili had sought to establish a cryptocurrency mining business. The Georgian branch of anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has said that there is a lack of evidence against Bachiashvili, and that the case appears to reflect Ivanishvili's financial interests. Ivanishvili, who is seen as controlling the ruling Georgian Dream party he founded, has steered traditionally pro-Western Georgia in a more pro-Russian direction since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, while clamping down on opposition at home. In December, he was sanctioned by the United States over a crackdown on protesters opposed to the Georgian government's freezing of European Union accession talks until 2028. The billionaire rarely appears in public, and has not commented on his former aide's flight or subsequent arrest. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Russia spy warning over claims Putin's agents are 'disguised as lost tourists'
Vladimir Putin's Russian spies are posing as lost tourists as a spy agency warned citizens to keep an eye out for Kremlin agents lurking in their own neighbourhoods A spy agency has said Vladimir Putin's spooks are appearing as lost tourists. A report by the Latvian State Security Service (MIDD) said Russian intelligence operatives disguised as civilians is an increasing concern for authorities. The report also said Kremlin spies are the biggest threat to Latvia's national security, as it warned of spooks appearing in untidy clothing such as sportswear or mismatched military clothing. People should be wary of suspicious individuals appearing to be lost and asking locals strange questions, the MIDD said. 'If you do think you might have spotted a sabotage group on Latvian soil, MIDD does not recommend tackling them yourself," the report urged residents. "Instead report your suspicions to the State Police, special services, or the nearest armed forces unit.' Not all operatives appear the same and citizens should consider the context when coming across someone they may suspect. They are most likely to loiter close to critical infrastructure or even near military sites. The spies are 'highly adaptive', the report says, basing some of its assessment on 'experience from Ukraine '. Operatives could be there to try and destabilise society or even target individuals for assassination. Similar concerns have been raised by Finland's Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO). It said there had been sabotage operations linked to operatives the GRU, one of Russia's intelligence agencies. Earlier this week, six Bulgarians were jailed after being convicted of spying for Russia on an industrial scale. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, who led the spy ring from a rundown guesthouse on the east coast of England, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months on Monday. He had admitted his role along with his second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, 44, who was jailed for 10 years and two months and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who was handed five years and three weeks in prison. Female 'honeytrap' agents Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Vanya Gaberova, 30, and competitive swimmer Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty at the Old Bailey in March of activities which police have said put lives and national security at risk. Mr Justice Hilliard jailed Ivanova, of Harrow, north-west London, for nine years and eight months, saying she had 'thrown in' her lot with her partner Dzhambazov and become an 'enthusiastic' participant. Gaberova, of Euston, north London, was jailed for six years, eight months and three weeks, having found spying for Russia to be 'exciting and glamorous', the judge said. Her ex-boyfriend Ivanchev, of Acton, west London, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
