Bitcoin, beatings, and a billionaire’s vendetta: Georgia’s Bachiashvili case

by Marco Stracke

A outdated aide to Georgian de facto chief Bidzina Ivanishvili is being held as a “private prisoner” of the billionaire flesh presser after being convicted of stealing $43 million value of bitcoin (BTC).

Giorgi Bachiashvili, who had beforehand been Ivanishvili’s “correct-hand man,” was convicted in Can also 2025 and sentenced to 11 years in jail for misappropriating 8,986.86 BTC and laundering the funds.

On the different hand, based completely mostly on Bachiashvili’s mother, her son is the sufferer of a “private vendetta” by Ivanishvili who she has called “sinful,” and says is with out humanity or empathy.

She also claims that Bachiashvili has been violently beaten in his cell and is now the “private prisoner” of Ivanishvili, Georgia’s ex-top minister, who smooth reportedly controls the nation.

“My supreme hope is the European institutions. Giorgi is now Ivanishvili’s private prisoner. I ask, for anyone to again, please,” she acknowledged.

In step with Georgia’s Prosecution Administrative center, Bachiashvili “tried to to quilt up the illegal starting build of the misappropriated resources, hid and disguised the lawful offer of their starting build via varied monetary transactions and actions, thereby allowing him to freely do away with and use the illegally obtained resources.”

He then fled to Abu Dhabi mid-methodology via his trial but was arrested after an interview with The Guardian wherein he claimed that he was being punished by Ivanishvili for his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

His lawyers scream he was blindfolded and flown again to Georgia whereas being taunted for believing he may perchance perchance per chance additionally flit from Ivanishvili.

One offer end to Bachiashvili instructed the BBC that he was extradited “with no lawyer, no trial, completely nothing.”

Indeed, Transparency World described Bachiashvili’s conviction as being “devoid of every correct and preferrred grounds.”

Georgia authorities purpose Bachiashvili’s family

On the day that Ramazashvili first publicly referred to her son as Ivanishvili’s private prisoner, the Georgian executive froze bank accounts belonging to the pair, and to Bachiashvili’s father.

Read more: UK mirrors US sanctions towards Russian crypto networks

Now, Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Administrative center is expanding its investigation to search out out whether or now now not or now now not his family was segment of the BTC misappropriation.

The Guardian reviews that Georgia’s justice gadget is now under the political adjust of Ivanishvili, whereas the nation has descended into an autocracy.

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