TBILISI, March 6 – A Tbilisi court has begun hearing a complex case involving the murdered Georgian businessman Levan Jangveladze, with multiple suspects and links to international criminal networks.
The trial is being held at the Tbilisi City Court, where several defendants are accused of participating in the premeditated contract killing of Jangveladze. During one recent hearing, physical and verbal confrontations broke out among people gathered outside of the court building.
According to the prosecution, the killing was the result of a coordinated plot that began months before Jangveladze’s death. Investigators say that in March 2025, the Mikadze brothers, Davit and Giorgi, passed information about Jangveladze’s travel plans to another defendant through intermediary Giorgi Jokhadze. Prosecutors say the information included details that Jangveladze would arrive in Georgia on March 14, which allegedly triggered preparations for the planned killing, which took place that day on Chavchavadze Avenue in the center of Tbilisi.
Authorities allege that another suspect, Gela Udzilauri, began actively preparing to carry out the murder after receiving the information about Jangveladze’s movements. Prosecutors say the suspects coordinated their actions as part of the plot to carry out the attack.
Investigators have also presented earlier events that they say show the planning stages of the alleged crime. According to case materials cited in court, Jangveladze had visited Georgia earlier in February 2025 and stayed at the Ambassador Hotel in Tbilisi. Prosecutors say Udzilauri went to the area near the hotel after learning about his location, but the suspected attempt was not carried out at that time due to what investigators described as unfavorable circumstances. Jangveladze left Georgia on February 23, 2025.
Prosecutors also claim the killing may have been ordered from outside of Georgia. According to material presented in court, Irakli Usoyan, identified in the case as a grandson of the late crime figure Aslan Usoyan, allegedly commissioned the murder for USD 5 million. Investigators say the order was connected to suspicions that the Jangveladze family had been involved in the killing of Aslan Usoyan, as well as earlier disputes involving business interests.
The case has also drawn attention because of the broader criminal and political connections mentioned during court proceedings. Defense lawyers have asked investigators to clarify whether people convicted or accused in the Jangveladze case might also be connected to another high profile killing, the murder of Levan Kacharava. Among the individuals mentioned during legal arguments are suspects already on trial as well as several figures referenced in media reports, including businessman and former prosecutor general Otar Partskhaladze.
Among witness testimony heard so far, is a friend of the slain businessman, who told the court he had spoken about the murder with Merab Jangveladze, who is described as a “thief in law,” a title used for influential figures in the post Soviet criminal world. The witness said Merab Jangveladze had not expressed a clear position about the investigation and did not appear interested in the details of the case.
The trial continues in Tbilisi City Court, where judges are examining evidence against the accused suspects, including the Mikadze brothers and Giorgi Jokhadze. Prosecutors say the defendants played different roles in organizing and preparing the killing, while defense lawyers have challenged parts of the investigation and raised questions about possible links to other cases.
