September 15, 2025 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

The pro-ruling party Imedi TV channel reported that the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) is leading a separate “money laundering” probe into the ongoing protests, and pointed at key Georgian universities and student groups in an alleged revolutionary plot, in a piece it aired on September 14.

According to the channel, the SSSG has opened an investigation under Article 194-3 of the Criminal Code for money laundering, a crime punishable by up to six years in prison. The channel said the security agency is currently reviewing materials and processing information. While echoing earlier Georgian Dream claims of youth-led, foreign-orchestrated coup plots, the channel drew particular attention to several Georgian universities, along with associated professors and student groups.

The allegations come amid concerns that universities could be the next target of Georgian Dream’s crackdown, as the authorities prepare to unveil new education reforms.

Alleged Foreign Funding Scheme

According to Imedi, “foreign intelligence services are spending millions of dollars to violently change the government” through what the channel described as a coordinated youth protest movement designed to create “constant chaos” in the country. “External actors are stubbornly trying to change the government at any cost,” anchor Tsotne Gegechkori added, though no specific countries were named.

According to the segment, the “curators” of the “artificial protest” are non-governmental organizations and online media representatives allegedly selected by “foreign intelligence services.” Their role, the report claimed, is to “film, circulate and use provoked incidents for propaganda.”

The report alleged that up to 600 students “trained by foreign intelligence services” are being paid GEL 200–300 [USD 75-110] per day to mobilize dozens of protesters daily in Tbilisi’s ongoing anti-Georgian Dream protests. No evidence or documents supporting these claims were aired, however.

Claims against Universities

Among the targets of Imedi’s piece was the University of Georgia, founded by Giuli Alasania, the mother of former President Mikheil Saakashvili. The channel alleged that activist and former university employee Saba Jajanidze coordinated funding protests through the university and his private companies.

The piece claimed that GEL 500,000 [approximately USD 185,000] was transferred from the University of Georgia to one of Jajanidze’s companies in January-July 2025, and that Jajanidze also received USD 100,000 from LLC “Digital Ledger Technology,” which the channel linked to Giorgi Bachiashvili, a former associate of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, currently jailed on cryptocurrency embezzlement charges.

Speaking to Imedi, Jajanidze denied the allegations, saying he had no ties with Bachiashvili and did not fund rallies. In a Facebook post, he further wrote that his companies, 4Brains and SnapSoftware, are still in development and have never received money from Bachiashvili. “You cannot stop us with lies and slander,” Jajanidze stated.

TV Imedi also named Tom Palmer, an American author and executive vice president for international programs at the U.S.-based libertarian NGO Atlas Network. The channel claimed he was “brought in” to Georgia to help organize the alleged activities, noting that Palmer had previously worked in Ukraine and had ties to the late businessman and former United National Movement–era Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze, founder of Tbilisi’s Free and Agricultural universities.

Other Alleged Actors

Imedi went on further accusing that “Serbian instructors,” brought in by CANVAS Georgia head Giorgi Meladze, are teaching “tactics of resisting law enforcement” at Ilia State University. “Revolutionary Serbs at Ilia [State] University teach young people, students, representatives of various fields of art tactics of resisting law enforcement at rallies,” the program’s author claimed, adding that “Serbian revolutionary technologies were used” during Georgia’s Rose Revolution in 2003.

The segment also claimed that Ilia State University and the University of Georgia train lecturers on how to teach students to act “under trending influence,” and instruct students to “bully” classmates, opponents, and stage provocations.

The report listed several individuals as leaders of student movements at different institutions, including alleging that libertarian professor and activist Levan Ramishvili was mobilizing student groups at the GIPA and Ilia State University, while Anastasia Bendukidze, daughter of Kakha Bendukidze, was doing the same at the Free University of Tbilisi. It also alleged that trainings on “revolutionary” tactics had been conducted at the Franklin Club, a university-based NGO long targeted by Georgian Dream’s allegations, and in “youth camps organized by Zurab Girchi Japaridze,” an opposition politician currently in jail.

The program said that restrictions under Georgia’s adopted foreign agents laws had forced the alleged operation to shift its “regional hub” to Armenia and seek alternative funding schemes. “Every intention, plan, or step of foreign special services and their associates in Georgia has been uncovered through the coordinated work of Georgian special services,” the Imedi piece concluded.

Georgian Dream and its mouthpieces have repeatedly alleged revolutionary plots by foreign-funded NGOs, opposition politicians, and youth groups. The State Security Service is leading a separate “sabotage” probe, which led to criminal prosecutions against several NGOs and solidarity funds that helped pay protest fines. As part of the probe, the authorities froze bank accounts of the prosecuted NGOs and funds and are currently questioning NGO heads.

Following its initial failure to pass the foreign agents law amid mass protests, the ruling Georgian Dream party has intensified rhetoric and conspiracies targeting youth groups and activists.

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