How was [Giorgi Bachiashvili] forced to agree, was he tortured?! - This is unbelievable and such things do not happen - he was urged to agree to a plea bargain even before the verdicts were handed down and it was desirable that he had thought about all this beforehand, - Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a member of parliament from the Georgian Dream, said regarding the release of Giorgi Bachiashvili, the former head of the Co-Investment Fund.

According to him, "the time when people were kept in unbearable conditions in prison and inhumane treatment took place is a thing of the past."

"There was and still is a plea agreement in the legislation. He was urged to make a plea agreement before the verdicts were handed down. Back then, he believed that it was possible to exert influence on the Georgian justice system from the outside so that such a verdict would not be handed down against him. When he became convinced that no external intervention could make the Georgian justice system change its mind and deny the crime, that no crime had been committed, it seems that he understood all this and followed the first offer. It would have been desirable for him to have understood all this beforehand and taken these steps when the plea agreement was being offered. How was the agreement forced, was he tortured?! This is unbelievable and such a thing does not happen. The time when people were kept in unbearable conditions in prison and inhumane treatment took place is a thing of the past. This is not the case now," said Sharmanashvili.

For information, Giorgi Bachiashvili, left the penitentiary on February 18. The prosecutor's office says that Bachiashvili pleaded guilty to all criminal charges, paid damages, and signed a plea agreement.

The State Security Service arrested Giorgi Bachiashvili in May 2025. Bachiashvili was convicted of embezzling cryptocurrency from Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in this case.

Bachiashvili was also convicted in another case involving illegal crossing of the state border. He was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison.

Giorgi Bachiashvili was also charged in the Mtkvari HPP case under Article 2201, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which refers to failure to perform or improper performance of official duties by a person with special authority, which resulted in serious consequences. The charge provides for a sentence of 2 to 5 years in prison.