Seven vehicle inspectors accused of bribe taking

Seven workers of vehicle inspection centres have been charged by the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance with commercial bribery.

“The detainees have been issuing satisfactory vehicle inspection reports in Kutaisi, Tskaltubo and Mtskheta for vehicles that did not meet inspection criteria,” the Investigation Service said in a release today.

The detainees are facing two to four years of imprisonment.

“The investigation process continues in Tbilisi, Samegrelo and Kakheti region to reveal other violations in seven vehicle inspection centres and charge those who are accountable”, the Investigation Service added.

Mandatory vehicle inspections started in Georgia in January 2018 to test the road worthiness of vehicles before they are allowed to continue driving on roads.

Vehicle testing is being launched step-by-step and the inspection of all vehicles will take about two years.

From January 1, 2019 to the end of the year the remainder of vehicles in Georgia will be forced to do vehicle inspections.

Mandatory vehicle inspections cost about 100 GEL (about $37) for powerful engine vehicles and 60 GEL for cars (about $22).

The vehicles will be inspected following seven major criteria: brakes, steering mechanism, suspension, visibility, car lights, emissions and tires.