Georgia’s State Security Service, SSG, has detained Levan Khabeishvili, a prominent opposition leader and senior figure within the United National Movement (UNM), on allegations of bribery.
The charges stem from a public offer he made in July, promising $200,000 to riot police officers who refused to act against protesters. Khabeishvili framed the offer as part of a broader campaign for a “peaceful revolution” tied to the municipal elections scheduled for 4 October.
In addition to the appeal to riot police, Khabeishvili also pledged the same amount to members of Georgia’s broader security forces who would come forward with information exposing what he described as the entrenched “Ivanishvili regime,” referring to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
The SSG has charged Khabeishvili with “promising, offering, or granting money to an official,” a criminal offense that carries a possible prison sentence of four to seven years. During the same operation on Thursday, UNM member Murtaz Zodelava was also arrested. Authorities claim he attempted to conceal his phone and physically confronted an officer. Zodelava now faces charges related to obstructing and threatening law enforcement, which could lead to two to five years in prison.
Khabeishvili currently serves as the head of the UNM’s political council and was the party's chair from January 2023 until stepping down in June 2024. He cited health concerns following a violent incident during anti-government protests in May, where he was reportedly abducted and severely beaten—a claim the UNM attributes to police involvement.
In a related development, Lasha Tsanava, another UNM member currently in detention, claimed in August 2025 that the SSG had attempted to blackmail him into providing compromising information about Khabeishvili. The UNM has since demanded an independent investigation into the alleged coercion.
Khabeishvili’s arrest is the latest in what many observers see as a pattern of legal pressure against opposition leaders in Georgia, raising renewed concerns about political repression in the lead-up to the elections.
