US praises Georgia’s tough stance on visa fraud

The United States (US) has praised Georgia for its arrest of two people who allegedly produced fake US visas for thousands of dollars.

The US Embassy officials said the arrest of the two people by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) was an example of successful cooperation between the US and Georgia.

At a press conference with MIA representatives, the US Consuls said America had a "very serious” attitude towards the visa application process.

"Our Consulates in each state around the world try to find and prevent visa fraud,” the US officials said.

"The US appreciates the cooperation with Georgian law enforcement officers in order to protect visa procedures and the fight against visa fraud. We thank the Georgian law enforcement officers for carrying out investigative operations aimed at punishing individuals suspected of forging documents outside the Embassy”.

Cooperation between the MIA’s Central Criminal Police Department and the US Department of Security saw two individuals arrested and charged with producing, selling, purchasing and using forged official documents.

The investigation found that the two people involved had promised to create forged US visa documents and on-sell them for $18,000 USD (about 36,000 GEL).

An investigation is ongoing under Article 362, Part I of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which relates to production, selling, purchase and the usage of fake official documents.