Georgian prosecutors have arrested the former head of the country’s security service on multiple bribery charges, including allegations that he protected scam call centers that defrauded victims around the world.
Grigol Liluashvili, who led Georgia’s state security service from 2020 until April this year, was detained earlier this week. Before his arrest, he appeared at the Prosecutor’s Office for questioning, telling journalists he was unaware of the details of the case. Asked whether he expected to be detained, he said: “Everything is God’s will.”
Prosecutors allege that Liluashvili accepted bribes in several criminal cases, including payments in exchange for shielding fraudulent call centers operating in Georgia. Despite a government campaign against scam operations, dozens of such call centers continued to operate, prosecutors said.
According to witness testimony cited by prosecutors, most of these centers were linked to a group that financed opposition media outlets, while others allegedly operated under Liluashvili’s protection through his relative, Sandro Liluashvili. Investigators say the former security chief received roughly $1.4 million in bribes routed through his relative.
Prosecutors are also examining claims that Liluashvili and accomplices helped conceal the existence of the call centers, while opposition media outlets allegedly refrained from reporting on them despite having information.
If convicted, Liluashvili could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
Earlier this year, investigative journalists uncovered a major call center operating in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, located just meters from the headquarters of the state security service. That operation employed about 85 people and generated an estimated $35.3 million from more than 6,100 victims worldwide since May 2022.
After the report was published, prosecutors froze assets linked to the call center. In October, authorities also raided the homes of several high-profile figures, including a former prime minister, a former chief prosecutor, and Liluashvili himself. His cousin Sandro was later arrested on fraud and money-laundering charges.
Prosecutors have not publicly specified which call centers Liluashvili is accused of protecting.
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Daryna Antoniuk
is a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine. She writes about cybersecurity startups, cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia. She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine. Her work has also been published at Sifted, The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv Post.
