Mikautadze was sentenced to a long prison term despite his innocence.

A Tbilisi court sentenced former Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze to 10 years in prison, finding him guilty of abuse of office and money laundering. The verdict was handed down despite the defense's arguments about the defendant's innocence.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," former Georgian Deputy Economy Minister Romeo Mikautadze stated in his closing speech in court that he does not consider himself guilty, but is willing to enter into a plea bargain, admit to a "non-existent crime," and compensate for "non-existent damages" so that the case can be quickly concluded.

The Tbilisi City Court found Romeo Mikautadze guilty of all charges and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Furthermore, the former official has been banned from holding public office for two years, Interpressnews reported today.

Mikautadze's property was also confiscated: homes in Spain and Georgia, three cars belonging to him and his wife, and a 15% stake in NakhidurGES.

Neither Romeo Mikautadze nor his family members attended the sentencing, the agency writes.

Romeo Mikautadze was arrested in June 2025 on suspicion of abuse of office and laundering several million lari in illegal proceeds. He faced a prison sentence of 9 to 12 years. Mikautadze denies the charges, his lawyer stated.

The defense pointed out that even before entering government service, Mikautadze was engaged in business for many years and accumulated "substantial assets," the origin of which can be substantiated. At the same time, registering property in the name of third parties is not a crime, especially if it concerns joint family property, the lawyer noted.

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Romeo Mikautadze's arrest is not related to the anti-corruption fight; it is a consequence of an intra-clan conflict within the ruling party, Levan, one of the leaders of the opposition United National Movement party, stated in June 2025. Sanikidze.

"The arrest of Romeo Mikautadze has nothing to do with the fight against corruption. He was the man who, during [Irakli] Garibashvili's premiership, was the chief treasurer of the slush fund, and it appears that [current Prime Minister Irakli] Kobakhidze wants to shift the money stolen from the people from one pocket to another. This is an intra-clan rivalry," he pointed out.