Tbilisi Mayor is accused of embezzlement

Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava was charged on December 18.

According to the Chief Prosecutors Office statement, the ongoing Tbilisi Mayor may be sentenced to 7-11 years (According to the Article 182 of Criminal Code of Georgia), if found guilty.

Gigi Ugulava is charged with embezzlement funds from the Tbilisis Developing Fund, established in 2010 for the capitals rehabilitation. This amount is over 48 million GEL (More than 28 million USD) that was misspent with the other five high officials of Tbilisi City Hall due to the United National Movements interests in the Parliamentary Elections 2012.

According to the investigation, Gigi Ugulava and other high officials of Tbilisi City Hall have made a criminal scheme for financing the UNM activists through establishing 719 false jobs in the Tbilisi Development Fund since November 2011 until June of 2012. The monthly salary used to transfer on salary cards of 719 persons who were fictional employees of Tbilisi Development Fund. This amount is  13.85 million GEL.

The second episode of the embezzlement, that Ugulava was charged, connects with the Parliamentary Elections 2012. Gigi Ugulava has withdrawn  34.32 millionGEL  from  Tbilisi Development Funds bank and handed it out to the UNM party activists in Tbilisi.

Before leaving Chief Prosecutors Office, the Mayor Ugulava said that the allegations he is facing, is absurd.

According to the Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, the interrogation of Tbilisi Mayors was conducted democratically and transparently.

"Everything is clear. If the investigation has questions toward someone, they should be answered, and it has no matter who is it, Tbilisi Mayor or someone else. said Irakli Garibashvili about Gigi Ugulavas questioning in the Chief Prosecutors Office.