The early release of a Georgian cleric convicted of attempted murder is reviving speculation about a succession struggle within the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Archpriest Giorgi Mamaladze was arrested seven years ago, initially suspected of trying to poison Georgia’s widely revered Orthodox patriarch, Ilia II. But following a trial that evidently contained conspiratorial plotlines lifted right out of an Umberto Eco novel, Mamaladze was ultimately convicted of the attempted murder of the patriarch’s trusted aide, Shorena Tetruashvili.

Tetruashvili was widely seen as having outsized influence on church affairs, due to the poor state of Ilia II’s health. The patriarch has continued to battle health issues since then. Today, the 91-year-old Ilia II is so weak that he cannot maintain a regular workload.

The patriarch is a position of major power and wealth in Georgia, a fervently pious nation. As such, the church exerts tremendous influence over Georgian society and political life. As the leader of the church for almost 50 years, Ilia II persistently tops rankings as the nation’s most trusted individual. The church likewise is rated as the most trusted national institution. 

Mamaladze maintains his innocence to this day, and a number of church hierarchs and public figures continue to insist that he was framed. But at the time of his arrest, authorities released videos in which he discusses poisoning plans with a police informant. In the videos, he speaks in great detail of plans to add cyanide into a coffee cup of an unnamed person during the patriarch’s trip to Germany for medical treatment. 

“I need three grams of it,” the archpriest tells his interlocutor, who secretly wore a body camera. “Get it for me and you will be dripping in diamonds.” The two speak of making sure that the victim does not take sugar with coffee or food as sugar can offset the effects of cyanide. 

As there are no grammatical gender distinctions in the Georgian language, it is unclear from the videos if the intended victim was a man or a woman. Debate continues about who the target of the poisoning was. 

In February 2017, the archpriest was caught with cyanide at Tbilisi airport as he was about to board a plane to Berlin, where Ilia II was undergoing gallbladder surgery. Tetruashvili was accompanying the patriarch in Germany. 

The trial was closed to the public, leaving Georgians to piece together the proceedings based on out-of-court comments by prosecutors and defense lawyers. After one hearing, a visibly upset prosecutor complained to assembled journalists that the archpriest had put a curse on him and Georgia’s entire legal system. 

Mamaladze’s health deteriorated significantly in prison in 2023. His family and supporters pleaded with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to pardon him. The Holy Synod, a conclave of top clerics, elected to forgive the archpriest and asked authorities to show mercy. Tetruashvili herself announced that bygones were bygones. 

Despite all the forgiveness, Zourabichvili declined to pardon Mamaladze earlier this year. However, the ailing archpriest was finally released on compassionate grounds in mid-February, cutting two years off his original nine-year term. His release kicked off a new round of public debate about his guilt or innocence, and about potential machinations to secure a preferred successor to Ilia II.

Mamaladze’s case is not the only instance of a suspected poisoning incident in the church. Last summer, Archbishop Shio, the patriarch’s handpicked successor and frequent stand-in during church ceremonies, was hospitalized with alleged signs of poisoning. Georgian media reported that arsenic was found in his blood. But authorities did not launch an investigation.