Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG) says 28 people have been brought to justice in 14 criminal cases following investigations conducted across nine regions of the country.
The SSG said three people were arrested and 11 charged in five cases involving the alleged fraudulent embezzlement of state funds through public procurement.
The agency claims the cases involve the alleged misappropriation of tens of thousands of GEL during road, drinking water network and public school rehabilitation projects in the municipalities of Tsalka, Akhaltsikhe and Tetritskaro through falsified documents and other illegal actions.
The SSG also alleges that some of the suspects supplied Easter food products of different brands and lower-quality disinfectants than those specified in contracts awarded for kindergartens in Tbilisi and free canteens in Batumi. The agency claims the alleged violations caused GEL 669,497 in damages to the state.
In three separate criminal cases, seven people have been charged with the alleged fraudulent acquisition of state-owned land, abuse of office and official forgery.
The SSG claims the suspects, including representatives of the mayors and municipal councils of Dmanisi, Gurjaani and Tsalka, fraudulently acquired a total of 91,564 square meters of state-owned land using false documentation, causing alleged losses of GEL 397,804.
The agency also reported that three people were arrested in three bribery cases. Investigators allege that representatives of the municipalities of Lanchkhuti and Tetritskaro, as well as the Oni Forestry Service, accepted bribes in exchange for facilitating the placement of commercial facilities on state-owned land, allocating land for apiaries and allowing the illegal felling of oak trees.
In another three criminal cases, four people were arrested on allegations of producing and selling forged official documents and commercial bribery.
The SSG says the investigation found that the suspects allegedly accepted bribes to produce fake driver’s licenses, Georgian passports and bachelor’s degrees issued in the name of a private higher education institution.
The agency added that the cases are being investigated under multiple articles of Georgia’s Criminal Code.
