Georgian businesswoman accused of laundering 2.16 min GEL 1 week after 53 executives indicted for similar offense
Georgian businesswoman Laura Ghachava has been accused of laundering 2.16 million GEL, the Georgian Ministry of Finance says. Photo: IPN.
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Georgian businesswoman Laura Ghatchava has been accused of laundering 2.16 million GEL (about $0.74/€0.66 million), the Georgian Ministry of Finance says.
The charge comes one week after 53 other heads of Georgian companies were indicted with tax evasion and money laundering.
These 53 chief executives registered several companies in different regions of Georgia, and developed a scheme by which companies used counterfeit assets to repay their taxes on goods imported to Georgia, mainly for petroleum products and to pay for current budgetary liabilities, Mikheil Oniani, deputy head of the Investigation Department of the Georgian Ministry of Finance announced a week ago.
The defendants allegedly attempted to hide 100 million GEL ($34.3m/€30.6m) in value added taxes.
Laura Ghatchava was charged with the offense at the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance today at 2:00 pm.
I can't say anything before getting acquainted with case materials I am not familiar with. I have no idea what is happening”, Ghatchava said.
If convicted, Ghatchava faces four to seven years in prison.
President of the National Karate Federation of Georgia Kakha B. has been accused of fraud by the State Security Service of Georgia.
The heads of 53 different companies are being investigated for tax evasion and money laundering, the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia reports. Defendants allegedly attempted to retain 100 million GEL ($34.3m/€30.6m) in VAT and avoid transferring it to the state budget.
One was arrested for attempting to misappropriate another person’s money several days ago. Police reported that the detainee promised an Iranian national to help obtain a Georgian ID card and passport in exchange for $7000. Initially, the detainee received 440 GEL (about $153) from the citizen of Iran. Afterwards, police officers detained him.
Four people have been accused of fraud, including the misappropriation of state property, negligence and falsification of documents by the Investigative Service of Georgian Finance Ministry.