Day: March 16, 2026

The number of registered commercial entities reached 206,250, a 6.9% increase from the previous year. In February 2026 alone, 1,163 commercial entities completed state registration, with 91.1% locally invested and 8.9% foreign-invested. Of these, 86.8% are individuals, while…

Georgia’s former Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being found guilty on multiple counts of abuse of office and money laundering.

Tbilisi City Court Judge Nino Galustashvili, who had presided over and delivered guilty verdicts in a number of high-profile protest-related cases, issued the ruling on March 16. Mikautadze, who has been in pretrial detention since June 2025, did not attend the final hearing. His lawyers plan to appeal the verdict to a higher court.

According to media reports, alongside the 10-year prison sentence, Mikautadze’s personal wealth, including his residences in Spain and in Mtskheta, a town near Tbilisi, was confiscated, as well as three cars registered in the name of his wife. He was also banned from holding public office for two years.

According to RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, Mikautadze had sought to reach a plea deal after expressing this intention during a previous court hearing. He said he was prepared to admit to “a crime that was never committed” and to compensate for “nonexistent damages.” Prosecutors, however, wanted him to admit guilt. The sides ultimately failed to reach a plea agreement.

Romeo Mikautadze held several senior government positions between 2017 and 2024. Before his arrest, he served as first deputy economy minister under Levan Davitashvili from 2022 to 2024, and as deputy economy minister under Natia Turnava in 2021-22, both during the tenure of then Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who himself is serving a five-year sentence after reaching a plea deal in a serious money laundering case.

Mikautadze was arrested on June 21, 2025. He was accused, among other things, of abusing his official authority for personal gain in the energy sector, including by receiving shares in energy companies and illegally registering individuals in state or private organizations in exchange for material benefits. The State Security Service said his wealth increased by “millions” of lari after his tenure in public office.

Various journalistic investigations had alleged, before his arrest, Mikautadze’s involvement in high-level corruption schemes, noting that his acquisition of state-owned land, businesses, apartments, residential buildings, cars, and cryptocurrency assets appeared disproportionate to his official income.

A number of former Georgian Dream officials are currently charged, arrested or already sentenced in corruption and abuse-of-office cases, amid the ruling party’s stated “uncompromising” fight against corruption, but what critics say is part of internal infighting and a power struggle.

Also Read:

• 18/02/2026 – Journalist Eliso Kiladze Arrested as Ten Face Charges Over Alleged Scam Call Centers
• 23/12/2025 – Ex-State Security Chief Grigol Liluashvili Arrested on Bribery Charges
• 23/07/2025 – Georgian Dream Resignation Streak: Who Left and Why

The government of Japan is not currently considering deploying its naval forces to patrol the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said during parliamentary debates.