Georgia’s PM thanks security service for operation leading to arrest of Ivanishvili’s ex-financier

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday praised the country’s State Security Service for what he called the “operation to arrest” Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former personal financier of ruling party founder and honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Speaking to reporters, Kobakhidze expressed his appreciation without disclosing details of the arrest. “I can generally thank the State Security Service for the successful and proper conduct of the operation,” he said, adding that the SSS would release more information "if necessary."

The PM did not elaborate on what the operation entailed, especially since the agency reported that it had acted on an anonymous tip received on Monday, which indicated that Bachiashvili was moving toward the border zone.

“It is very important to ensure the rule of law in all directions,” Kobakhidze said. “Law enforcement agencies are at the height of their task.”

When pressed for specifics about how Bachiashvili ended up near the “green border,” the PM declined to answer, directing questions to the SSS.

The agency early on Tuesday confirmed Bachiashvili’s detention, saying that he was apprehended while moving between the Tsiteli Khidi and Sadakhlo areas - two locations near Georgia’s borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan. The agency did not specify the exact location of the arrest.

Bachiashvili, who holds dual Georgian-Russian citizenship, is wanted under an international red notice. 

Just hours before his arrest was announced, The Guardian published an interview with Bachiashvili, in which he claimed to be in hiding and alleged that intelligence services from two countries had informed him of a plot to assassinate him.

“One of the services told me they didn’t just see the risk - they knew that the order [to kill me] had been issued,” he said.

Bachiashvili distanced his former employer from the alleged threat, suggesting that the order may have come from actors aiming to discredit Ivanishvili.

“I fear that this may come from secret services or certain forces in some country who want to further weaken Ivanishvili,” he told the newspaper. “If he is accused of the murder, then there will be much less chance for Ivanishvili to have a normal dialogue with the US.”

Following the arrest, Bachiashvili’s lawyer visited Gldani prison, where he believed his client was being held. Authorities have not confirmed the location of Bachiashvili’s detention.