Finance Ministry investigators charge 26 with appropriating state aid funds for agriculture

The Investigation Service of Georgia’s Finance Ministry on Thursday said it had charged 26 individuals with appropriation of state financial support for agricultural activities by producing and using forged documents.

The Service said the alleged offenders had received ₾1.7 million ($667,785) as a targeted agricultural credit between 2018 and 2022 from various banks within the state Preferential Agrocredit project.

The programme was targeted to support planting of perennial crops, purchasing inventory for wineries, purchasing small livestock and building farms and warehouses.

Instead, the charged individuals used the funds for “personal interests” and prepared false purchase acts and conclusion on purposeful use of the credit.

The body noted the damage caused to the state totalled ₾227,748 ($84,991), adding the investigative actions by the Service had avoided an additional ₾238,709 ($89,081) loss.

It added ₾179,442 ($66,964) from the former figure had been compensated and “appropriate measures” were ongoing to ensure recovery of the remaining amount.

 The crime is punishable by imprisonment from five to eight years.