“My detention is absurd – you want to put a father of 8 with a brain concussion in prison?!” – former Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze stated during a court hearing where deliberations are underway regarding the imposition of a preventive measure for him.
According to him, the apartment purchased in Spain, which the investigation accuses him of concealing in his declaration, was bought with the proceeds from the sale of his own property.
“If you allow me to assess the degree of the charge – there is no connection to European standards here… I want to show you, to help form your personal conviction about how absurd my detention is… I would have mortgaged it if there was a right of redemption for the purchase; it’s my decision… I paid for the Spanish property with my mother’s property and the sale of my own property… As for the declaration, this house did not need to be declared; I bought it in 2025. I wasn’t hiding this house; during the interrogation, I myself told them and brought the contract…
There is no witness at all, unless we count indirect witnesses… You want to put a father of 8 with a brain concussion in prison?!” – Juansher Burchuladze said.
The prosecutor’s statement was disseminated by “Radio Free Europe.” Due to limited seating and the large number of attendees at the hearing, other media outlets were not allowed into the courtroom.
For reference, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, in 2023, Juansher Burchuladze abused his official position, with the assistance of his deputy, relative, and the former head of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, to supply a medical device to the military hospital for 3,940,000 GEL instead of 2,606,272 GEL, resulting in property damage of 1,333,728 GEL to the ministry.
In March 2025, Juansher Burchuladze and his spouse purchased property in Spain for 544,000 EUR. To conceal and disguise the origin of these funds and to give them a legal appearance, they entered into a fictitious purchase agreement for real estate in Tsqneti with a third party.
The former Defense Minister is accused of legalizing illegal and unjustified income totaling 1,593,212 GEL.
Juansher Burchuladze has been charged under subparagraph “c” of the third part of Article 194 and the second part of Article 332 of the Criminal Code, which pertain to the abuse of official authority by a state-political official and the legalization of illegal income. These actions carry a penalty of 9 to 12 years of imprisonment.
Juansher Burchuladze: My detention is absurd – you want to put a father of 8 with a brain concussion in prison?!
