Three detained for membership in ‘criminal underworld’, ‘requesting help from criminal bosses’

The Georgian Interior Ministry has detained three individuals for ‘membership in the criminal underworld’ and ‘requesting help from criminal bosses to settle a dispute’. 

The ministry stated that one of the detainees, who had a dispute with his business partner, appealed to two members of the criminal underworld to settle the dispute in his favour, with the help of a Georgian criminal boss living abroad, Zaal Makharoblidze.

On the phone, the two individuals and Makharoblidze tried to exercise pressure on the business partner of one of the detainees to make him refuse his own shares in their activities.

All three, except Makharoblidze, have been detained.

The crime is punishable by three to ten years in prison.

The ministry stated that starting from January 2018 five criminal bosses and 39 members of the criminal underworld have been detained.

The ministry reports that 32 others have been detained for participation in criminal assemblies organised by criminal bosses, support of the activities of criminal bosses and appealing to criminal bosses to settle disputes between individuals.

In August 2018 the Interior Ministry expanded the list of crimes in the criminal code related to so-called criminal bosses and their activities.

Since then, the following acts are now criminally prosecutable:

• Participating in criminal assemblies called for by criminal bosses.
• Support of the activities of criminal bosses.
• Appeals to criminal bosses to settle disputes between individuals.

Earlier, only being a criminal boss and having membership in a criminal group was punishable by the Georgian criminal code.