The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has filed charges against the former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development for abuse of official authority by a person holding a state-political position and for the legalization of illegal income.
This information was released in a statement by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia.
“According to the investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service, it was established that the former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, who held various high-ranking positions in different government agencies from 2017 to 2024, systematically abused his official authority, which resulted in the receipt of particularly large-scale income.
In 2021, the former Deputy Minister used his official authority and influence for personal gain and, against the public interest, helped a company he had previously founded to be sold to another company for USD 4,400,000. In return, he received approximately USD 400,000 from the purchasing company.
To conceal and disguise the origin of the particularly large-scale illegal and unsubstantiated assets acquired through corrupt activities, which could not be justified as legally obtained, the accused took the following steps:
In 2023, the family of the former Deputy Minister transferred EUR 599,955 from Bank of Georgia to purchase a 120-square-meter apartment in Madrid, Spain. The amount was transferred from the bank account of the accused's spouse, having been deposited as cash into her account on June 26, 2023.
Since the accused and his spouse could not provide a legal origin for this EUR 600,000 (approximately GEL 1,713,600), a fake official document—a sales agreement—was forged in agreement with accomplices to mask the origin of the money. The agreement falsely stated that a fictitious buyer—specifically, the retired mother of the accused’s friend—was to pay EUR 600,000 for the property registered under the name of the accused’s wife. In reality, the family had not sold the property, and the sole purpose of the contract was to conceal the source of the money transferred to Spain.
Additionally, to further hide and disguise the origin of the particularly large-scale illegal and unsubstantiated income, the former Deputy Minister purchased two luxury vehicles in 2023: a Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG and a Land Rover Range Rover, with a total value of GEL 842,592. These vehicles were formally registered under the names of trusted associates of the accused and his spouse.
At this stage of the investigation, it has been established that the accused, with the help of accomplices, illegally laundered GEL 2,556,192 in unsubstantiated income through the above methods.
The former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development was arrested on June 20. He has been charged under Article 332, Part 2 and Article 194, Part 3, Subparagraph “g” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for a sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
The Prosecutor’s Office will apply to the court within the legal time frame to request pre-trial detention for the accused as a preventive measure.
The investigation by the State Security Service of Georgia is ongoing,” – the statement reads.
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