Investigation Service Arrests Two for Appropriation of State Property

The representatives of the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance Georgia charged seven persons and arrested two on the fact of falsifying documents, appropriation of a large amount of state property and thereby inflicting solid damage to the state budget.

One of the detainees is a current employee of the Mtskheta Municipality, while the second is a former employee of the same agency.

“The investigation established that the defendants, using fake documents, registered 4,700 square meters of state-owned land worth 50,000 GEL in the Mtskheta Municipality and, through falsified documents, attempted to register in the Public Registry 4,690 square meters of land located adjacent to the mentioned piece of land, worth 53,000 GEL.

Currently, the land is seized and appropriate measures have been taken to identify and prosecute other persons involved in the crime,” the report reads.

The agency reports that the investigation is being conducted under Article 180 Part III, Article 362 Part II and Article 341, which can lead to imprisonment from 6 to 9 years.

On August 13, 2019, the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia reported that the Agency had prevented the use of fake assets and the loss of 100 million GEL from the state budget.

“The investigation revealed a large-scale criminal scheme of tax evasion and legalization of illegal income. Investigations have been launched against 53 people in 9 criminal cases. 38 out of the 53 persons are detained. Most of them are directors, founders, and managers of various companies.

The defendants owned companies in various regions of the country, through which they carried out illegal operations. If the crimes are confirmed, the defendants face 9 to 12 years in prison”, the Investigation Service said.

The investigation continues to reveal the persons involved in the mentioned as well as other criminal schemes, the agency claims.

Related Story: Investigation Service Prevents Loss of 100 Million by State Budget

By Ana Dumbadze