The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said it arrested 30 people on corruption-related charges in 12 criminal cases during a large-scale anti-corruption crackdown across several regions of the country.
Emzar Gagnidze, director of the SSSG’s Anti-Corruption Agency, announced the arrests and case details during a March 9 briefing. He said the cases involved bribery, fraud, abuse of office, falsification of documents, and other corruption-related offenses.
He said the cases, including the detainees and their charges, include:
- Two people, including an Akhmeta municipal council member, were detained on bribery charges for allegedly accepting money to facilitate the lease of a land plot;
- Two people, including a coordinator at the public vocational college “Akhali Talga” in Kobuleti, were detained over alleged abuse of office and alleged attempted fraud after preparing a fake graduation certificate for a vocational program;
- One employee of the Interior Ministry’s Emergency Management Service in Tbilisi was detained on charges of allegedly attempting fraud after promising a Greek citizen assistance in leasing state-owned land;
- Two people, the specialists from Martvili City Hall, were detained on charges of aiding and abetting large-scale fraud, official forgery, and official negligence after preparing a false inspection report;
- Two people, a current and a former representative of the Tsalenjikha mayor in local administrative units, were arrested on charges of abuse of office, aiding and abetting fraud, and official forgery after issuing false certificates that enabled the registration of several state-owned land plots;
- One former representative of the mayor in the Tsageri municipality was charged with abuse of official power, aiding and abetting fraud, and official forgery related to the illegal registration of a state-owned land plot;
- One former representative of the mayor in the Gardabani municipality was charged with assisting fraud after allegedly issuing a false certificate that enabled the registration of several state-owned land plots;
- One representative of the mayor in the Mtskheta administrative unit was charged with allegedly aiding and abetting large-scale fraud after submitting false information in a land inspection report;
- Two people, including a Marneuli City Hall administrative service employee, were charged with alleged attempted fraud involving a large amount of money by a group based on a preliminary agreement;
- Five people, including the Akhmeta City Hall officials, were charged with allegedly committing fraud involving rehabilitation works at two municipal kindergartens.
- Three people, including the former chair of the Senaki municipal council, were charged with large-scale fraud, assistance in large-scale fraud, and illegal participation in entrepreneurial activity related to a municipal contract for accommodation and catering services for a football team;
- Eight people, including former members of a Khulo City Hall procurement monitoring commission, were charged with large-scale fraud, use of forged official documents, and official negligence linked to incomplete rehabilitation works of a drinking water system at the Beshumi resort.
The majority of them face six to nine years in prison.
“The State Security Service’s Anti-Corruption Agency continues its work to expose and prevent all forms of corruption-related crimes until we achieve the declared goal of the Georgian state – for Georgia to be among the leading countries in the world with a low level of corruption,” Gagnidze said.
The arrests come amid Georgian Dream’s declared anti-corruption drive, which authorities say aims to strengthen oversight and combat corruption in public institutions.
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