British education abroad is being hijacked by corporate bullies
What began as a hopeful partnership to expand access to British-quality education in Georgia has turned into a high-stakes legal showdown in the heart of London’s Chancery Division. A claim filed this month by Natia Janashia, founder of the British Georgian Academy (BGA) and the British International School of Tbilisi (BIST), is not just about a school. It’s about allegations of deceit, corporate overreach, and the uncomfortable reality that some London-listed companies may be benefiting from political dysfunction abroad while enjoying impunity at home.
Janashia, a refugee from Russian-occupied Abkhazia who built two of Georgia’s most respected private schools from scratch, is suing Georgia Capital PLC and its CEO Irakli Gilauri in the UK for what she alleges was a calculated campaign of fraudulent misrepresentation and unlawful means conspiracy.
The core of the dispute dates back to 2019, when Janashia sold a 70% stake in BGA to Georgia Capital. The investment looked like a win-win. Janashia would retain 30% ownership and management control while scaling the schools’ operations with support from a major PLC. In return, Georgia Capital, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, would invest in the school’s future by providing land in Tbilisi’s Okrokana district and funding for new school buildings.
But according to Janashia’s legal filings, those promises were empty from the start. The claim alleges that Georgia Capital and Gilauri never intended to deliver the land or the investment. Instead, they are accused of stringing her along with repeated assurances and business models referencing land transfers that never materialized. When she pushed for action, the tone shifted. Georgia Capital demanded nearly $1.4 million from her for land that had previously been promised free of charge. Then came the real betrayal: they blocked her and her husband, also a co-director, from the school they founded.
The damage has not been limited to her personally. BGA and BIST, which together educate more than 1,100 students and are accredited by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), now face reputational risk. COBIS, whose initial letter was used by Georgia Capital to justify removing Janashia from leadership, has since retracted its support and stated that its correspondence “should not, under any circumstances, be construed as aligning with or supporting Georgia Capital’s position.”
But the harm has been done. Students, including Janashia’s own children, have reportedly faced humiliation and harassment under the new administration. Georgia’s school inspectorate is investigating.
And yet, the legal complexity of the case — alleged breach of contract, deceit, conspiracy — is only half the story.
What makes this case especially urgent is its geopolitical backdrop. Georgia Capital’s CEO, Irakli Gilauri, appeared on a U.S. House of Representatives list earlier this year that recommended sanctions on individuals enabling elite corruption and authoritarianism in Georgia. Gilauri, the brother of former Prime Minister Nika Gilauri, has been called one of the country’s most politically connected business figures. Georgia Capital itself holds a 20% stake in Bank of Georgia and operates across several sectors, while reporting to shareholders in the UK.
Georgia is also not the country it was back in 2019. Under the Georgian Dream party, the country has seen democratic institutions weakened, protests violently suppressed, and the judiciary compromised. The UK Foreign Office sanctioned two senior judges this April, citing “reasonable grounds” to suspect improper influence. Janashia’s decision to file in London is not simply a matter of jurisdiction. It is, in her words, a matter of survival. She has lost faith in Georgian courts, which she believes are now tools of the same oligarchic structures her claim is up against.
Janashia argues that Georgia Capital, under Gilauri’s direction, knowingly misled her, exploited her trust, and was unjustly enriched by acquiring control over the school whose value has nearly tripled under her leadership from $14 million at the time of sale to $40 million today. She wants her shares returned, or compensation for the increase in value and the dividends Georgia Capital has received in the meantime.
This isn’t just one woman’s business dispute. It points to a bigger question: whether the UK’s financial system does enough to check who gets to list on its most trusted stock exchange. Georgia Capital isn’t some unknown offshore company. It is a UK-registered public company with a London office, British investors, and financial reports that are required to follow UK law.
The British Georgian Academy case should serve as a wake-up call for investors, regulators, and the education community alike. It is a rare moment when one story, one woman, and one school combine to shine light on the convergence of corporate ambition, political decay, and the cost of silence.
Lika Kobeshavidze is a Georgian political writer and analytical journalist, specialising in EU policy and regional security in Europe. She is currently based in Lund, Sweden, pursuing advanced European studies.
