Georgia: former intelligence chief arrested for protecting online fraud networks

Georgian authorities arrested Grigol Liluashvili in late December 2025. He served as head of Georgia’s intelligence services from 2020 until April 2025 and is accused of corruption. He allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for protecting online scam centers that defrauded victims worldwide.

Most of these infrastructures were linked to a group financing opposition media outlets, which did not disclose these cybercriminal activities despite being aware of them. Others operated under the direct supervision of a cousin of the former intelligence chief, Sandro Liluashvili. Grigol Liluashvili is alleged to have received 1.4 million dollars (€1.2 million), transferred through this intermediary.

In early 2025, Georgian investigative journalists uncovered a major online scam center in Tbilisi, located just a few meters from the headquarters of the State Security Service. Employing 85 people, it reportedly defrauded more than 6,100 victims since May 2022, generating proceeds exceeding 35.3 million dollars (€30 million).