Trump Tower in Georgia to be Built on Land Linked to US-Sanctioned Leader's Son

The Controversial Land Deal

A Trump Tower planned for the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, is to be built on land currently part-owned by the son of the US-sanctioned leader of the country, according to official records.

The Connection to US-Sanctioned Leader

The proposed skyscraper, a joint venture between a local consortium and the Trump Organization, which is managed by the US president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, will be on a plot whose current registered owner is the International Charity Fund Cartu.

• Cartu Group JSC is 35% owned by Uta Ivanishvili, the eldest son of Bidzina Ivanishvili.
• Bidzina Ivanishvili was put under US sanctions by the Biden administration in 2024 for undermining Georgia's democratic future.

The Financial Implications

The links between the Trump Organization and the Ivanishvili family will raise fresh concerns about the potential conflict of interest raised by the selling of the US president’s name to developers seeking to sell residential and resort complexes.

The Impact on Georgia

The Trump Tower project has been seen by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s critics in Georgia as an attempt to ingratiate himself with the US president. Georgian Dream leaders have loudly trumpeted the project as a vote of confidence in Georgia’s economy and governance.

The Future Outlook

Sandro Kevkhishvili, the anti-corruption programme manager at Transparency International Georgia, said there were grounds for concern that the Trump Tower project in Georgia was “not merely a private business project, but rather a political one”. The White House referred questions to the Trump Organization, which did not respond to requests for comment.