The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has detained Zurab Kakabadze, the former president of the Georgian Handball Federation, on allegations of large-scale embezzlement amounting to GEL 464,496. Authorities accuse Kakabadze of misusing federation funds for personal gain during his tenure.
The investigation, conducted in coordination with the State Audit Office, revealed that Kakabadze allegedly withdrew substantial sums from the Federation’s corporate bank accounts between 2019 and 2021, spending the money on personal expenses rather than official activities. The misuse of funds reportedly caused significant financial harm to the Federation.
The case emerged after an audit report uncovered serious financial irregularities within the Federation’s accounts, urgingprosecutors to launch a criminal investigation. Kakabadze now faces charges under Article 182, Part 2, Subparagraph ‘d’ and Part 3, Subparagraph ‘b’ of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which pertains to embezzlement of large amounts through abuse of authority, a crime punishable by seven to eleven years in prison.
