Georgian Dream parliamentary leader named as new head of State Security department

In a surprising turn of events, Anri Okhanashvili, the former head of the Georgian State Security Service (SSG), has resigned from his position. Okhanashvili, who served as a Georgian Dream MP from 2017 until November 2024, and briefly worked as Minister of Justice until April 2025, announced his resignation on a Facebook post.

The reason for Okhanashvili's resignation and the end of his tenure as the head of the SSG is unclear. However, the resignation comes amidst a series of high-profile resignations and detentions on corruption charges. Giorgi Khaindrava, the former Deputy Defence Minister, and Romeo Mikautadze, the Deputy Economy Minister, were both detained on corruption charges in June and July 2025 respectively. Levan Davitashvili, the Economy Minister, resigned a few days after Mikautadze's detention.

Levan Khabeishvili, one of the leaders of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, has stated that the change at the SSG has humiliated Okhanashvili. Khabeishvili hinted at the SSG's alleged broad surveillance and monitoring of personal lives of figures of interest to the state.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, a parliamentary leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, will replace Okhanashvili as the head of the SSG. Mdinaradze is a recognisable figure of the ruling party and has been the leader of the Georgian Dream's parliamentary faction since 2016. He is a lawyer by profession and has a background in law enforcement, but his experience in law enforcement is less defined compared to his legal career.

According to procedure, the candidate for head of the SSG must be submitted to parliament for approval. The former Chair of the Adjara Government, Tornike Rizhvadze, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest in July 2025, amidst speculation about potential political motives.

The resignation of Okhanashvili marks a significant shift in the Georgian political landscape. Irakli Kupradze, the Tbilisi mayoral candidate from the Lelo and For Georgia parties, has criticized the Georgian Dream party for moving Okhanashvili to an advisory position. Kupradze believes that the Georgian Dream party is collapsing from within, with officials being sidelined and investigated.

In his resignation letter, Okhanashvili stated that he will continue working as Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's advisor on national security issues. Kobakhidze nominated Mdinaradze for the post of SSG chief shortly after Okhanashvili's announcement.

The resignation of Vakhtang Gomelauri, the Interior Minister, and Irakli Karseladze, the Infrastructure Minister, also occurred in 2025. Aleksi Akhvlediani, the director of Georgia's Maritime Transport Agency, was briefly detained on charges of negligent storage of a firearm and was removed from his position.

Before leading the Georgian State Security Service, Okhanashvili was an assistant in criminal law at the Faculty of Law at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University from 2016 to 2020. During his tenure as head of the security service, he worked to strengthen the agency before resigning. The former head of the SSG, Grigol Liluashvili, resigned in April 2025 and was supposed to be appointed Minister of Regional Development, but was not appointed due to disagreements on certain issues.

The developments in the Georgian political landscape continue to unfold, with the resignations and investigations raising questions about the stability and integrity of the ruling party.

Georgian Dream parliamentary leader named as new head of State Security department