The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced Grigol Liluashvili, the former head of Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG), to 13 years in prison. The court found him guilty on four counts of accepting bribes.

According to the investigation, in October 2022, Liluashvili received $1 million from Turkish investor Çağatay Ülker in exchange for facilitating a wind power plant construction project. Prosecutors allege the money was handed over via Romeo Mikautadze, who was then the First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development.

Another incident dates back to February 2022. Investigators believe Liluashvili received 1.5 million lari from Giorgi Khazhalia, the founder of the company "Express-Service 2008," for helping the firm win gasification tenders. Prosecutors state that Romeo Mikautadze acted as an intermediary in this transaction as well.

Furthermore, the former SSG chief was charged with providing protection to fraudulent call centers operating between 2021 and 2023. Case files indicate that he received $1,365,000 from this scheme through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili.

The fourth count involves Kakha Gvantseladze, the former director of the Tbilisi City Hall’s Kindergarten Management Agency. Investigators allege that Liluashvili accepted bribes to shield the official, who was receiving substantial kickbacks from state procurement contracts for kindergartens.

Grigol Liluashvili headed Georgia’s State Security Service for over five years. He was detained on December 23, 2025. The verdict was announced just days before the expiration of the maximum nine-month period of pre-trial detention. Had the court not issued a ruling by September 23, it would have been required to review the preventive measure and alter the terms of detention.