State Security Service arrests 3 former employees of Emergency Response Coordination, Urgent Assistance Centre for bribery

The State Security Service of Georgia on Friday said its professionals had charged two individuals and arrested the former Deputy Head of the hospitalisation shift of the Emergency Response Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre under the Health Ministry, as well as two former managers of the Centre, for bribery.

The Service said its investigation had found the three former employees had made a “corrupt deal” with representatives of the joint stock company Vian and “artificially directed” patients who required emergency hospitalisation to clinics under the company's control instead of the closest facilities.

The body said the individuals had received ₾532,126 ($197,108) from the company as a bribe for rerouting “several thousand patients” between January 1, 2020 and July 31, 2023, and noted the representative of the company had received ₾149,010 ($55,195) as a bonus for attracting patients, while the second individual received ₾76,771 ($28,437).

It also added the investigation was being carried out by the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Service, with the crime punishable by imprisonment between 11 and 15 years.