Big indoors bazaar, where the dangerous meat was sold

Deserters market, where the unchecked meat was sold. (DF Watch.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The Finance Ministry’s Investigative Service on Thursday detained two veterinarians in Tbilisi for fraud that allowed potentially dangerous meat to get through to consumers.

Veterinarians Khvicha Bichiashvili and Mamuka Mzhavanadze are charged with commercial bribery, fraud and preparing fake documents and fake seals.

They worked at the so-called Deserters Market, which has been located close to the Station Square in Tbilisi for decades, and is considered one of the cheapest places to buy agricultural products.

Investigators claim the detainees received money for providing fake information to the National Food Agency and confirming the fake information with fake seals.

They allowed unknown vendors to sell meat of unknown quality that was produced outside of the normal slaughterhouses and this meat was approved with a fake seal. The meat, that had not been inspected by veterinarians, made it to the market.

Dangerous meat sold to restaurants

Meat that contained parasites was recently found in a kindergarten in Tbilisi.

An illegal outdoors slaughterhouse was discovered in January 2014, which allegedly delivered donkey meat to restaurants and for khinkali (dumplings).