Ex-Navy official arrested on multiple charges

A former high-ranking official of the Georgian Navy has been extradited to Georgia after he was arrested by Interpol in Brussels, Belgium.

Viktor Tchelidze, who served as deputy head of the Georgian Navy in western Georgia’s town of Poti from 2000-2005, repeatedly abused his authority, said Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"Tchelidze was found guilty of misappropriation and embezzlement, abuse of authority, fraud and intentional destruction of military property,” the Ministry’s press office said.

The Poti Sea Port is Georgia’s major seaport and harbour off the eastern Black Sea coast.

The Georgian Navy was a branch of the Georgian Defence Ministry Armed Forces until 2009, when it merged with the Coast Guard and transferred under the umbrella of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

Before the Russia-Georgia war in 2008 over Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region, the Georgian Navy consisted of 19 vessels and 531 personnel, of which 181 were officers, 200 non-commissioned officers (NCO), 114 conscripts and 36 civilians.