Who is Irma Kapanadze in reality?

A Public Legal Statement — Requesting the Initiation of an Objective and Impartial Investigation by the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and Relevant Law Enforcement Agencies — Regarding the Alleged Criminal Activities of Irma Kapanadze. All allegations are presumptive and require proper investigation by law enforcement authorities.

Irma Kapanadze — an emigrant, a Georgian citizen presumably residing in Udine, Italy — is conducting a systematic verbal defamation campaign against human rights defender Lasha Janibegashvili. Within the framework of this campaign, unsubstantiated information regarding Lasha Janibegashvili is being spread by Irma Kapanadze and her trolls across various social media groups within Georgian emigrant communities.

According to our assessment, this campaign is directly linked to the case of Lela Chokuri — specifically, the legal defense of the interests of the legitimate owner of a €2,000,000 lottery win in court. The purpose of this campaign is to damage the lawyer's reputation, create widespread public pressure against him, and presumably obstruct his legal representation.

In parallel with this fact, numerous complaints and grievances have been raised against Irma Kapanadze by various Georgian citizens and emigrants, who have contacted Lasha Janibegashvili regarding the following alleged criminal activities:

Alleged Crime I — Facilitating Illegal Migration (Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Georgia)

Article 344-1 (prima) of the Criminal Code of Georgia — "Illegal Smuggling of Migrants across the State Border" — establishes criminal liability for individuals who, in an organized manner, facilitate illegal migration, or illegally arrange migration routes, documentation, or logistics.

Specifically, according to available information, the complaints against Irma Kapanadze involve:

• The organized transportation of Georgian citizens to Italy through irregular, unlawful channels;

• Acting as an intermediary for illegal migration between Georgian and Italian networks, including through the suspected creation of forged documents and provision of false information;

• Receiving financial benefits in exchange for this mediation.

Part 2 of Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, when the act is committed by an organized group, carries a penalty of 3 to 6 years of imprisonment if committed:

• By a group;

• Repeatedly;

• Against two or more persons;

• Using forged documents.

Alleged Crime II — Facilitating Prostitution (Article 253 of the Criminal Code of Georgia) Irma Kapanadze

Article 253 of the Criminal Code of Georgia — "Organizing Prostitution or Engaging therein" — prohibits any action aimed at organizing, facilitating, or financially benefiting from the sexual exploitation of individuals.

According to available information, the complaints received against Irma Kapanadze include:

• Organizing Georgian women as a group through a specific network, presumably for the purpose of sexual exploitation;

• Acting as an intermediary between Georgian women and foreign clients;

• Receiving systematic financial benefits from these activities.

Part 4 of Article 253, in cases involving an organized group or the involvement of three or more persons, carries a penalty of 12 to 20 years of imprisonment.

Alleged Crime III — Money Laundering (Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Georgia)

Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Georgia — "Legalization of Illicit Income" (Money Laundering) — establishes liability for any individual who introduces criminally acquired income into legal circulation, conceals the origin of such income, or otherwise legalizes it.

Article 194. Legalization of Illicit Income (Money Laundering)

1. Legalization of illicit income, i.e., giving a legal appearance to illegal and/or unsubstantiated property (use, acquisition, possession, conversion, transfer, or other actions involving property) for the purpose of concealing its illegal and/or unsubstantiated origin and/or assisting another person in evading liability; as well as hiding or disguising its true nature, source of origin, location, placement, movement, ownership, and/or other rights related to it, –

2. The same act committed: ა) By a group of persons; ბ) Repeatedly; გ) Accompanied by the receipt of income in large quantities, – Shall be punished by deprivation of liberty for a term of six to nine years.

According to available information:

• The alleged criminal income obtained from the aforementioned activities is placed into the Georgian and Italian banking systems through irregular wire transfers;

• There is a total lack of transparency regarding these financial flows;

• The volume and systematic nature of the alleged income manifest the features of an aggravated offense under Article 194.

When committed by a group, Article 194 carries a penalty of 6 to 10 years of imprisonment along with property confiscation.

Connection to the Lela Chokuri Case — The Harassment of the Lawyer as a Potential Conflict of Interest

Particular attention should be paid to the following circumstance: Irma Kapanadze's intensive campaign against lawyer Lasha Janibegashvili is taking place simultaneously with the lawyer's involvement in Lela Chokuri's court case.

Lela Chokuri — the legitimate winner of the €2,000,000 lottery in Italy — is engaged in a legal dispute in Georgian courts against an opponent represented by the former General Prosecutor, Archil Kbilashvili. Lasha Janibegashvili’s involvement in this case has activated numerous legal mechanisms.

In this context, the defamation campaign against Lasha Janibegashvili within Georgian emigrant social media networks raises a reasonable suspicion: Who is organizing or coordinating this campaign, and why? This question must become a subject of the investigation.

Demands to the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia

Based on the factual circumstances outlined above, we demand:

• The initiation of a criminal investigation against Irma Kapanadze under the hallmarks of Articles 344 (illegal migration), 253 (facilitating prostitution), and 194 (money laundering) of the Criminal Code of Georgia;

• The subpoenaing of bank transaction statements for all accounts belonging to Irma Kapanadze;

• Cooperation with Italian law enforcement agencies through international mutual legal assistance to obtain information regarding Irma Kapanadze's activities;

• The questioning of individuals who possess information regarding Irma Kapanadze's alleged actions;

• An investigation into the potential link between the campaign conducted by Irma Kapanadze and the interested parties in the Lela Chokuri case;

• The identification of the actual beneficiary of the defamation campaign against the lawyer.

Legal Status of the Lawyer — Ongoing Cases

There is no ongoing criminal investigation, nor has there ever been one in the past, against lawyer Lasha Janibegashvili regarding any alleged crime in Georgia. He operates in emigration and serves his clients through the platform advocatory.ge alongside partner lawyers.

His departure into emigration was caused by political pressure and threats. In this context, Irma Kapanadze's campaign is viewed as yet another tool designed to tarnish his professional and personal reputation.

Conclusion — An Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities is Mandatory

The General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia is obligated to initiate a criminal investigation whenever sufficient grounds exist. This obligation applies equally to any case, regardless of whom the legal claims are directed against.

The alleged actions of Irma Kapanadze — facilitating illegal migration, facilitating prostitution, and money laundering — span three different articles of the Criminal Code. Conducting an effective, independent legal process is necessary to investigate them.

This demand serves not only the interests of specific individuals but also the principle of a state governed by the rule of law, where the law must be enforced equally for everyone.

advocatory.ge — Lasha Janibegashvili |

Author: Journalist Megi Sadradze