Finance Minister: 46 call centres operating in Georgia under investigation for alleged illegal activities

Khutsishvili also said legislative amendments over activities of call centres would be submitted to the Government of Georgia for consideration “in the coming future”. Photo: The Ministry of Finance of Georgia/Facebook.

Agenda.ge, 11 Apr 2022 - 15:52, Tbilisi,Georgia

A total of 46 call centres operating in Georgia have suspended their activities while being investigated by the Ministry of Finance for alleged “illegal activities”, Lasha Khutsishvili, the Finance Minister of Georgia, said on Monday.

The update follows Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili tasking Khutsishvili in February to investigate activities of all call centres in the country, following a lawsuit stemming from allegations related to an October case of fraudulent operations set up by a group of Georgian and Israeli citizens in Georgia.

In the case, Georgian law enforcement agencies, in cooperation with their German counterparts, arrested seven individuals in Georgia, who embezzled millions of euros from German citizens via fake ‘call centre’ services set up for the purpose.

Khutsishvili also said legislative amendments over activities of call centres would be submitted to the Government of Georgia for consideration “in the coming future”.