One charged with fraudulent appropriation of state maternity leave support funds

The Investigation Service of Georgia’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday charged one individual for a fraudulent scheme that registered pregnant women as employees of an enterprise for the purpose of receiving state packages for maternity leave support.

The body said the offender had offered 237 pregnant women who were on maternity leave to register as employees of the enterprise and created fake employment papers for applying for the state support package between 2021-2022.

It also said the company in question had received payments of ₾237,000 ($94,813) in aid from the state budget through the scheme, with the offender splitting the money between them and the women.

The investigation is ongoing to identify further individuals involved in the scheme, with the offender facing seven to 10 years in prison.