In a major anti-corruption move that has rattled Georgia’s public infrastructure sector, prosecutors have charged five individuals-including a former senior transport official-over alleged embezzlement, abuse of office, and falsification of official records tied to a catastrophic highway bridge collapse. The scandal, which centers on the Samtredia–Grigoleti Highway project, exposes deep flaws in oversight and governance that may have contributed directly to the failure of a multi-million-dollar state-funded construction project.

The charges, announced on November 10 by Malkaz Kapanadze, head of Georgia’s Department for Combating Corruption Crimes, mark a significant development in the country’s ongoing battle against public-sector corruption. According to prosecutors, the accused engaged in a coordinated scheme of falsifying documentation, approving payments for unperformed work, and siphoning funds from a major national infrastructure project-actions that ultimately cost Georgian taxpayers millions.

At the center of the case is Zurab Kupatashvili, the former deputy head of the Roads Department, who has been arrested and faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted. Kupatashvili is accused of knowingly authorizing false documentation and signing off on inflated payments to contractors and consultants tied to the collapsed bridge. Prosecutors allege that his actions directly enabled large-scale embezzlement and the misuse of public funds allocated for the highway’s construction.

The bridge in question, located on the Samtredia–Grigoleti Highway in western Georgia, collapsed after being damaged by flooding in February 2023. Though no injuries were reported, the incident sparked immediate questions about construction quality, supervision, and the management of........

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