The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has charged former senior officials of the Ministry of Defense with embezzlement of a large amount of money belonging to the Ministry of Defense and aiding in embezzlement by abusing their official position.

As stated in the information released by the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, the Prosecutor's Office will apply to the court within the time limit established by law with a request to use pre-trial detention.

“The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has charged three individuals with embezzlement and aiding in embezzlement of a large amount of money belonging to the Ministry of Defense of Georgia by a group of individuals using their official positions.

As a result of an investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service, it was established that in 2023, the former Deputy Minister of Defense of Georgia and the then Head of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, with the assistance of a relative of the former Minister of Defense of Georgia, deliberately created a non-competitive environment in the process of purchasing a magnetic resonance tomography device for a military hospital by the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, as a result of which, through the conclusion of unrealistic deals, the real value of the device increased and the magnetic resonance tomography device worth 2,606,272 GEL was delivered to the Ministry of Defense of Georgia for 3,940,000 GEL. As a result of the criminal actions, the defendants embezzled 1,333,728 GEL belonging to the Ministry of Defense of Georgia.

The investigation continues into the fact of embezzlement and assistance in embezzlement of a large amount of money belonging to the Ministry of Defense of Georgia by a group of individuals by prior agreement, using their official position, under Article 182, Section 2, Subparagraphs “a”, “d” and Section 3, Subparagraph “b” of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for imprisonment for a term of 7 to 11 years as a form and measure of punishment.

The Prosecutor’s Office will apply to the court within the time limit established by law with a motion to use pre-trial detention,” reads the information.