Plea Agreements Reached with Juansher Burchuladze, Vasil Mkheidze, and Giorgi Khaindrava

Plea agreements have been concluded in the Court of Appeals with former Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, his brother-in-law Vasil Mkheidze, and Burchuladze’s former deputy, Giorgi Khaindrava.

Under the terms of the agreement, Vasil Mkheidze and Giorgi Khaindrava will be released from the penitentiary institution at the end of September, while Juansher Burchuladze will be released from prison in two years.

The Tbilisi Court of Appeals found Juansher Burchuladze guilty of abuse of official authority and the legalization of illicit income, upholding the verdict of the court of first instance. The court also found Vasil Mkheidze guilty of aiding in the misappropriation of a large sum of money and of trading in influence.

According to the appellate court's verdict, Giorgi Khaindrava was found guilty of misappropriating a large sum of money. Under the plea agreement, Burchuladze was sentenced to five years of imprisonment; he will serve three years in a penitentiary institution, while the remaining two years will be suspended, subject to a probationary period of the same duration. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 1,000,000 GEL. Additionally, various assets were forfeited to the state without compensation, including a house in the province of Málaga, Spain, a house in the settlement of Tskneti, a parking space, and a summer property.

As for Giorgi Khaindrava, he was sentenced to four years and two months of imprisonment; he will serve one year and two months in a penitentiary institution, while the remaining three years will be suspended, subject to a probationary period of the same duration. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 GEL.

Vasil Mkheidze was sentenced to four years and two months of imprisonment; he will serve one year and two months in a penitentiary institution, while the remaining three years will be suspended, subject to a probationary period of the same duration. He was also fined 100,000 GEL, and the items seized as evidence—non-excise cigarettes worth several million, along with the materials, tobacco, cigarette rods, and machinery used for their production—are to be confiscated by the state without compensation.