Georgian businesswoman accused of laundering 2.16 min GEL 1 week after 53 executives indicted for similar offense

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. 

•    53 chief executives being investigated in Georgia for money laundering

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.