Georgia has been rocked by the arrest of its former Defense Minister, Juansher Burchuladze, who now faces grave allegations of money laundering and abuse of power. The charges, unveiled on September 11 by the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG), have sent shockwaves through the political establishment, raising questions about corruption, transparency, and the credibility of Georgia’s defense institutions.

According to Emzar Gagnidze, head of the SSSG’s anti-corruption agency, the former minister is accused of laundering more than 1.59 million lari (roughly $590,000) in illicit or unjustified income. Investigators allege that the illicit funds were obtained through the embezzlement of state money that had been allocated for the purchase of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at a military hospital.

Instead of being used for its intended medical purpose, authorities claim the funds were diverted through a scheme orchestrated by Burchuladze and his close associates. Investigators say the former minister used the money to purchase real estate in Malaga, Spain, worth €544,000 ($638,000). The transfer of funds allegedly involved a series of fictitious sales and loan agreements designed to disguise their illegal origins.

One such transaction reportedly involved a December 2024 agreement, in which Burchuladze’s wife signed a false sales contract with a third party for a property in Tbilisi valued at €620,000 ($727,000). However, investigators claim no such sale ever took place, and the deal was created solely to justify the transfer of money to Spain.

In addition, authorities accuse Burchuladze of failing to disclose the Spanish property in his official asset declaration in March 2025, despite being........

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