TBILISI, December 28 -Georgia’s security services say four people were arrested and 11 charged after a nationwide anti-corruption operation carried out on Saturday.
At a briefing, the Anti-Corruption Agency under the State Security Service of Georgia said investigators opened four separate criminal cases involving fraud, bribery and counterfeit currency. Searches and covert investigative measures were conducted across several regions in a single day.
In the largest case, investigators said a road rehabilitation project in southern Georgia was used to siphon off public funds. According to the agency, two people who carried out the work under the name of the company Crosspoint, along with the company’s sole owner and director and two officials responsible for oversight, are accused of large-scale fraud and using forged documents. The case centers on rehabilitation work on a 15.26-kilometer local road linking Marneuli, Lomtogora and Algeti.
Authorities say forged paperwork was used to claim more than 2 million lari from the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure. An expert assessment later found the road unfit for use, forcing the state to announce a new tender and sign a fresh contract.
In a second case, a food safety inspector in Kaspi municipality and a civilian were arrested on bribery charges. Investigators say the inspector issued fake certificates allowing beef to be sold without checking meat quality, in exchange for 560 lari.
A third case involved counterfeit currency in Tbilisi. One person was detained for allegedly selling 7,000 fake US dollars, receiving 2,450 dollars in return. Forensic tests confirmed the banknotes were not issued by the US Federal Reserve.
The fourth case concerns alleged fraud during concrete road works in the village of Akhuti, in western Georgia’s Chkhorotsku municipality. Investigators say the director and sole owner of the company New Passage, with help from two employees of a supervising firm, fraudulently obtained nearly 255,000 lari from the local municipality. The finished road was also found to be unfit for use.
Audio and video from court-approved wiretaps and surveillance formed part of the evidence in the case.
