Group charged with fraudulent appropriation of state property

Six individuals, including a former official, have been charged with fraudulent appropriation of a large amount of state property, the Investigation Service of the Georgian Finance Ministry announced on Monday.

The Service said its investigation had found the group had fraudulently registered 2,256-square metre land plots worth ₾309,576 ($107,458/€105,980), in Georgia’s eastern Mtskheta-Mtianeti region using forged documents and with the help of an official in one of the local municipalities.

In its comments, the state body said the group had intended to register five more land plots with a total area of 6,217 square metres by submitting forged documents to the Public Registry, an attempt prevented by law enforcement. 

The Service added procedures were also carried out to “return the illegally acquired land plots to state ownership”, while the group is set to face between six and nine years of imprisonment.