Former Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze stated during a court hearing that he will apply to the Prosecutor’s Office regarding a plea agreement.

Burchuladze made this statement while the defense was discussing details of the next court session with the judge, where the defense intended to question the defendant himself.

According to Burchuladze, they will address the Prosecutor’s Office today regarding a plea agreement and request the cancellation of the hearing scheduled for tomorrow.

The defense also stated that it plans to complete the examination of evidence in a single session.

For context, Juansher Burchuladze has been charged under Article 194, Part 3 (subparagraph “g”) and Article 332, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, which involve abuse of official authority and legalization of illegal income. These offenses carry a penalty of 9 to 12 years in prison.

He is accused of legalizing a total of 1,593,212 GEL in illegal and unjustified income. According to the charges, in 2023, Burchuladze, with the assistance of his deputy, a relative, and the former head of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defense, supplied medical equipment to a military hospital for 3,940,000 GEL instead of 2,606,272 GEL, causing 1,333,728 GEL in damages to the Ministry.

Additionally, in March 2025, Burchuladze and his wife purchased property in Spain for 544,000 euros. To conceal the origin of these funds and give them a legal appearance, they allegedly signed a fictitious real estate purchase agreement involving property in Tskneti with a third party.

As for Vladimer Ghudushauri and Giorgi Khaindrava, they are charged with large-scale embezzlement, while Vasil Mkheidze is charged with aiding embezzlement. They are accused under Article 182 of the Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of 7 to 11 years in prison. Ghudushauri has been released on bail.