Davit Kezerashvili

Davit Kezerashvili (born September 22, 1978) is a Jewish-Georgian investor, entrepreneur, media tycoon and former statesman who was the Minister of Defense of Georgia under Mikheil Saakashvili's presidency. Kezerashvili currently resides in the United Kingdom and is sentenced to imprisonment in Georgia for corruption. In 2023, the BBC published a journalistic investigation linking Kezerashvili to organized crime which scams vulnerable people out of their savings on the pretext of making investments.
Biography
Early life and education
Kezerashvili was born in Tbilisi to a Jewish family. After migrating to Russia, he went to Israel in 1992, where he lived with his grandmother in the Kiryat Ben-Gurion neighbourhood of Holon and attended high school. After a year and a half, he left Israel and returned to Georgia. He studied law and international relations at Tbilisi State University.
After working in the Ministry of Justice in Georgia, he became an assistant to Mikheil Saakashvili, the then Minister for Justice.
Political career
In late 2001, Kezerashvili became one of the founding members of the United National Movement party, and contested an election in 2002 under its banner. After the party rose to power in 2003, Kezerashvili worked in the Finance Ministry from 2004 until November 2006, including a role as chair of the financial police force. On November 11, 2006, he was appointed as Defense Minister. Kezerashvili resigned as defence minister on 5 December 2008 during a major cabinet shuffle. His dismissal was expected in the aftermath of Georgia's defeat in the 2008 South Ossetia War. Kezerashvili was succeeded by former ambassador to the United States, Vasil Sikharulidze.
Conviction in Georgia
According to the Swiss outlet Tribune de Genève, Kezerashvili's trustees registered three offshore shell companies into which he moved millions of dollars two days after his resignation from the post of defence minister of Georgia. He also left the country afterwards.
After the change of power in Georgia in 2012, the new government opened an investigation against Kezerashvili. He was accused of embezzling €5 million ($5.2 million) during his tenure as defence minister under the auspices of a combat training project.
Kezerashvili was acquitted of embezzlement by the Tbilisi City Court and the Tbilisi Court of Appeals. However, in September 2021, the Supreme Court of Georgia overturned both acquittals, found Kezerashvili guilty, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison in absentia. Due to the amnesty, he would serve only five years in prison. Kezerashvili argued that the charges were politically motivated against him.
After 2012, a total of seven criminal cases were brought against Kezerashvili. He was only found guilty in one case.
Living in the UK, Kezerashvili has managed to avoid a prison sentence. In October 2013, Kezerashvili was detained on an Interpol warrant in France, with the Georgian government seeking his extradition. The Aix-en-Provence city court ruled against his extradition and Kezerashvili was released in early 2014. INTERPOL declared a search for Kezerashvili by red notice in 2014. However, INTERPOL revoked its red notice the next year. In 2016, the United Kingdom also refused to extradite Kezerashvili to Georgia.
It has been reported that the State Prosecutor’s Office of Israel for Tax and Financial Crimes may also charge Kezerashvili for corruption.
BBC investigation
In April 2023, the BBC published a journalistic investigation titled "On the hunt for the businessmen behind a billion-dollar scam" where it alleged that Kezerashvili appeared to be associated with a network of fraudulent and unregulated investment brands, including EverFX. The firms scam vulnerable people out of their savings on the pretext of making investments. The BBC reported that there were no publicly available documents linking Kezerashvili to the network, but he appeared in the Panama Papers to be either the founder or one of the initial shareholders of the companies in the pre-dating linked network, was identified as senior person in the scheme by former employees of the firms, frequently promoted the scam trading platforms on his personal social media accounts, owned office buildings in Kyiv housing the fraud call center and used private email server used exclusively by Milton group companies and those owned by Kezerashvili. Kezerashvili denied the allegations.
Financing of Georgia opposition
On 3 September 2019, Kezerashvili bought control packet of shares of TV Formula, a pro-opposition Georgian TV channel.
Kezerashvili is considered to be a major financial donor to several Georgian opposition parties, including the United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli and Droa. He has also financially supported Girchi TV, operated by the opposition Girchi — More Freedom party. He has been accused of meddling in the intra-party elections of the United National Movement in early 2023 to oust chairman Nikanor Melia to replace him with Levan Khabeishvili. Melia accused Kezerashvili of plotting against him and attempting to gain "informal influence" over the party.
Notes
See also
Foreign relations of Georgia (country)
Politics of Georgia
1978 births
Living people
Military personnel from Georgia (country)
Jews from Georgia (country)
People of the Russo-Georgian War
Politicians from Tbilisi
United National Movement (Georgia) politicians
Government ministers of Georgia (country)