A hearing was held at the Tbilisi City Court in the case of former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili.

During the trial, a witness was questioned regarding the so-called call center episode.

According to prosecutor Mariam Berdzenishvili, the witness confirmed that a certain amount of money was transferred to partners who were part of Grigol Liluashvili’s close circle, in exchange for protection provided by the State Security Service.

“A witness was questioned regarding the call center episode. He was a co-head of one of the call centers. The witness confirmed that specific sums of money were transferred to other partners who represented Grigol Liluashvili’s close circle. Their role was defined by the provision of protection by the State Security Service, and therefore the mentioned funds were transferred to Grigol Liluashvili as a bribe.

At different times, different amounts were transferred. The percentage was calculated based on the call center’s profits. The partners mentioned will, of course, be questioned in court,” said Mariam Berdzenishvili.

For context, former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili was detained on December 23 after being summoned for questioning at the Prosecutor’s Office. He is charged under Article 338 (Part 2, Subparagraph “g” and Part 3, Subparagraph “e”) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which refers to accepting a particularly large bribe by an organized group, and carries a sentence of 11 to 15 years in prison.