State Security Service uncovers fraud, identifies alleged criminals

Two Georgian men accused of defrauding at least one victim of tens of thousands of dollars have been arrested by Georgian law enforcers.

Georgia’s State Security Service (SSS) held a special briefing this afternoon to announce they had detained Jemal Duadge and Gogita Demetrashvili for allegedly bribing victims under the name of the State Anti-Corruption Agency and the State Security Service. 

Today the SSS named the two offenders and released photo and video materials of the accused in the hope other victims would come forward after seeing the footage.

At the briefing the SSS said in mid-2015 alleged offender Duadge contacted a victim Bejan D and told him the Anti-Corruption Agency had launched an investigation against him. 

Duadze told the man if he wanted to avoid punishment he must pay a bribe worth $30,000 USD. 

Gogita Demetrashvili, one of the alleged offender. 

Duadge also contacted the man’s grandson, a Russian citizen only named as Beka D, and told him of the criminal charges against his grandfather.

The grandson travelled to Georgia to settle his grandfather’s problem, but before he arrived Duadge contacted the second alleged offender, Demetrashvili, to assist him carry out the fraud.

Demetrashvili has a previous criminal record for fraud, announced the SSS.

Duadge met Beka D at Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International Airport and took him to the Avlabari district in central Tbilisi.  In front of Avlabari Metro Station Duadge introduced the grandson to Demetrashvili, who said he was a deputy leader of the SSS.

The process of handing money. 

A conversation between the parties released today by the SSS revealed Demetrashvili, who acted as if he was a high-ranking security official, promised Beka D the charges against his grandfather would be dropped if he paid the $30,000 bribe.

As Duadge and Demetrashvili were taking the money from their victim, Georgian law enforcers pounced and caught them in the act, said the SSS.

The pair were detained and are currently in custody.

See the video  here.