The employees of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense have detained one individual on charges of falsifying conscripts’ medical histories and assisting citizens in evading military service in exchange for financial gain.

This was announced at a briefing by Archil Nikoleishvili, Deputy Head of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia.

According to him, the investigation is ongoing and the circle of responsible persons may expand.

“Within the framework of a criminal case under the proceedings of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, as a result of joint investigative actions and operational measures carried out by the General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense, the State Security Service of Georgia, and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia, a group of individuals was identified who, in exchange for certain financial benefits, were assisting Georgian citizens in evading mandatory national military service for conscripts by using falsified medical documents indicating false health conditions. At this stage, one person has been detained in connection with this fact.

Covert investigative measures, as provided by law and based on a court order, were conducted for several months with the detained individual and his accomplices.

Investigative and operational measures aimed at identifying other individuals involved in the mentioned criminal case are ongoing, as a result of which the number of offenders may increase.

The investigation is being conducted under Article 180, Part 2, subparagraph ‘b’, Article 180, Part 3, subparagraph ‘a’, and Article 362, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which предусматривает a sentence of imprisonment from six to nine years.

The General Inspection of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia will be uncompromising toward any such violations and will act with the full severity of the law,” Nikoleishvili stated.