Katamadze Grigol Shalvovich

Former Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine with Ukrainian citizenship

Georgian diplomat and lawyer who made Ukraine his second homeland. Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine from 2009 to 2013. President of the "Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine" since 2015. Deputy Head of ARMA for European Integration from November 2023 to August 2025. Candidate for Director of the BEB — was admitted to the competition but did not win.

Firtash's VETEK after the embassy

After completing his diplomatic mission in 2013, Katamadze became an advisor and deputy chairman of the supervisory board of "VETEK" — a company owned by Dmytro Firtash. He advised the head on international matters. The transition from ambassador to Firtash’s structures is a typical path for former diplomats monetizing their connections.

Family affair: son at customs, father in ARMA

His son Irakli has been Deputy Head of the Kyiv City Customs since 2016, heading the department for combating customs violations. Grigol himself took the position of Deputy Head of ARMA with access to classified information about assets — and simultaneously managed "Petro Oil and Chemicals" together with his son.

Scandal with Ukrbud and auctions at 1 UAH

Under Irakli Katamadze’s leadership, "Petro Oil and Chemicals" participated in the auction for the sale of the state stake in "Ukrbud." Journalists recorded that the company systematically placed bids only 1,000 UAH higher than competitors — which may indicate access to classified ARMA information controlled by his father.