Ex-deputy economy minister maintains innocence, lawyer

The lawyer for Romeo Mikautadze, the former deputy economy minister, on Tuesday said his client had not given any testimony against Grigol Liluashvili, the former head of the State Security Service, and continued to maintain his innocence, as proceedings continued at Tbilisi City Court.

Beka Nemsitsveridze, Mikautadze’s defence lawyer, said there were currently no plea negotiations under way and that his client’s position remained unchanged.

He said Mikautadze had not provided any statements against Liluashvili in the case in which he was acting as defence counsel, adding that he was unaware whether any testimony had been given in other cases. As a result, he said it was unclear on what grounds Mikautadze’s possible release could be based.

“We have the same plan we had from the beginning,” Nemsitsveridze said, adding that his client considered himself innocent and would continue to contest the charges.

Mikautadze, a former deputy economy minister, is currently on trial at Tbilisi City Court. At the latest hearing, additional prosecution witnesses were due to testify. According to the court, 72 witnesses have been questioned so far, with 42 remaining to be heard.

The former official was arrested in June 2025 on corruption‑related charges brought by Georgia’s State Security Service. Prosecutors allege that while holding senior government positions between 2017 and 2024, he systematically abused his official authority for personal gain and obtained large amounts of illicit income.