Former Georgian Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze, an Ivanishvili ally and Russian citizen sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department as a "Georgian-Russian oligarch whom the FSB has used to influence Georgian society and politics for the benefit of Russia," has changed his last name to the Russian royal family Romanov, an investigation by TV Pirveli’s Nodar Meladze has found.
Mr Partskhaladze’s associates told TV Pirveli he had “discovered his roots” and that his descendancy from Russia’s imperial family was ascertained by a “special commission.”
The report also featured a lavish party in Moscow hosted by Mr Partskhaladze to celebrate the occasion.
In September 2023, Partskhaladze was included in a list of more than 150 companies and individuals from Russia, Turkey, the UAE, and Georgia aimed at cracking down on sanctions evasion and denying Russia access to technology and financial resources that enable the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.
"FSB officer Onishchenko likely assisted his associate Partskhaladze in obtaining a Russian passport and possibly Russian citizenship. Partskhaladze has fully adopted a Russian identity and routinely travels to Russia. Onishchenko and the FSB have used Partskhaladze to influence Georgian society and politics for the benefit of Russia. Partskhaladze has reportedly personally benefited from his association with the FSB," the U.S. government press release said.
Following the U.S. sanctions, the Georgian National Bank amended its regulations to allow Mr Partskhaladze secure his assets, leading to a series of high-profile resignations in protest from its officials and employees. The move, spearheaded by the bank's governor and an Ivanishvili loyalist Natia Turnava was preceded by a series of statements by Georgian Dream leaders, including party leader Irakli Kobakhidze, in defense of Mr. Partskhaladze.
The former prosecutor general is also believed to have acted as a key deal-breaker on behalf of Bidzina Ivanishvili, handling major business deals with Ivanishvili's nephew, Ucha Mamatsashvili. Mr. Ivanishvili's rapper son Bera became the godfather of Partskhaladze's grandchild.
Leonid Kalashnikov, a Russian MP and chairman of a State Duma committee, told Formula TV that Mr. Partskhaladze was involved in negotiations between Georgia and Russia to restore direct flights, suggesting he was acting on behalf of the Georgian government. Georgia went ahead with the move despite warnings from the US and EU.
Partskhaladze was appointed Prosecutor General of Georgia by the Georgian Dream government in 2013, but was forced to resign after the opposition discovered that he had a criminal record in Germany, where he had been convicted of "armed robbery" in 2001.
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