Otar Partskhaladze

Otar Partskhaladze, also known as Otar Anzorovich Romanov Partskhaladze, (; born 18 June 1976) is a Georgian-Russian businessman and former Georgian official who briefly served as Prosecutor General of Georgia in 2013. His appointment by the Georgian Dream government, subsequent business career, and reported association with the party founder and tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili made him a prominent figure in controversies over informal influence and the independence of Georgian state institutions.

Partskhaladze resigned as prosecutor general after his prior conviction in Germany became public. The United States sanctioned him in 2023, alleging that Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had used him to influence Georgian society and politics for Russia's benefit; he denied the allegation. Partskhaladze adopted the surname Romanov after acquiring a Russian citizenship in 2024. He has been tried in absentia in Georgia since 2025 on charges of organizing the killing of businessman Levan Jangveladze and was separately charged in 2026 in an alleged scam call-center fraud and money-laundering scheme. Both cases remained pending as of August 2026.

Early life and career

Partskhaladze was born in Tbilisi on 18 June 1976.

During the same period, former prime minister Vano Merabishvili, who was in pre-trial detention, alleged that prison officials had secretly removed him from his cell and taken him to meet Partskhaladze, who sought information about former president Mikheil Saakashvili and the death of former prime minister Zurab Zhvania. A Georgian investigation did not substantiate the account.

Partskhaladze resigned on 30 December 2013, stating that doubts about his biography should not undermine the legitimacy of the Prosecutor's Office. Ivanishvili later responded to criticism of his government's vetting process by acknowledging that Partskhaladze's background had not been checked adequately.

Business activities and controversies

After leaving office, Partskhaladze entered business and accumulated substantial property interests. Georgian investigative journalists and civil-society organizations questioned the rapid growth of his holdings and several transactions involving associated companies. He was widely described as close to Ivanishvili's family and other figures in the Georgian Dream network. Ivanishvili stated that his son Bera was godfather to Partskhaladze's grandchild, but characterized Partskhaladze as a family friend rather than his own.

Citizenship and international sanctions

On 14 September 2023, the United States designated Partskhaladze under Executive Order 14024 and added him to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, blocking property under United States jurisdiction and generally prohibiting transactions involving it by United States persons. In response, three vice-governors of the National Bank resigned, and the decision was criticized as political interference with the central bank independence and a retreat from Georgia's alignment with Western sanctions policy.

On 17 October 2023, President Salome Zourabichvili terminated Partskhaladze's Georgian citizenship after the Ministry of Justice determined that he had acquired Russian citizenship without the required notification. In 2024, Partskhaladze adopted "Romanov" as part of his surname. His associates claimed that a "commission" had established his descent from the Russian imperial House of Romanov; official sanctions records subsequently listed him as Otar Anzorovich Romanov Partskhaladze.

Criminal proceedings in Georgia

In December 2025, Georgian authorities charged Partskhaladze in absentia with organizing the contract killing of businessman Levan Jangveladze in Tbilisi on 14 March 2025. Prosecutors alleged that a group led by Partskhaladze and brothers Davit and Giorgi Mikadze had arranged the murder following a business dispute with Jangveladze. Partskhaladze denied the charges. Although other defendants were convicted, his trial remained pending as of August 2026.

In February 2026, prosecutors charged Partskhaladze and nine others in a separate fraud and money-laundering case involving alleged scam call centers. They claimed that the group, operating under his patronage, had obtained cryptocurrency worth approximately US$9.5 million from more than 200 foreign citizens between 2020 and 2023 and that associates had protected the operation from law enforcement and rival groups.