Prosecutor’s Office arrests 4 more in transnational call centre fraud case
The body also added it had arrested seven members of the group in February as part of the international investigation and in cooperation with the law enforcement agencies of Switzerland, under the coordination of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation. Photo: Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia
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The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia arrested four more members of organised crime group last week as part of ongoing international investigation against transnational crime involving fraudulent call centre services, the body said on Monday.
The Office said the arrests had been made on charges of fraud and money laundering, with the body cooperating together with its European colleagues during the efforts.
The body said its investigation had found the members of the group had founded companies in Georgia and used them to arrange and organise fake call centres at different locations.
They also created e-commerce platforms with different brand names, used websites to “create the impression of reliable investment companies” and offered “various types of lucrative financial deals” to their victims.
It added the individuals fraudulently acquired about 3 million Swiss francs belonging to citizens of Switzerland, before transferring money to their bank accounts and laundering it through purchase of real estate.
The Office also said the investigation had seized ₾6 million ($2 mln) in property from the arrested individuals, and added the body would carry out “appropriate legal procedures” to ensure confiscation of criminally acquired assets.
It noted continued “active cooperation” with the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, an agency for combating a wide range of serious and complex cross-border crimes involving two or more countries and other international partners to identify other individuals involved in the case, including organisers.
The body also added it had arrested seven members of the group in February as part of the international investigation and in cooperation with the law enforcement agencies of Switzerland, under the coordination of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation.
The crime is punishable by nine to 12 years of imprisonment.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia on Saturday said it “intensively” continued to fight against transnational crime involving fraudulent call centre services, together with law enforcement agencies of European partner countries and under the coordination of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, in order to expose involved individuals and especially organisers of the transnational crimes.
The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia on Tuesday said it had charged five foreign and two Georgian nationals for operation of a fraudulent scheme to illegally acquire a “large amount of money” from individuals living abroad.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia on Thursday said it was carrying out investigative and procedural actions at several locations in the capital city of Tbilisi as part of the international investigation against transnational crime involving fraudulent call centre services.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia arrested seven members of the organised crime group on Saturday as part of the international investigation against transnational crime involving fraudulent call centre services, in cooperation with the law enforcement agency of Switzerland and under the coordination of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, the body said on Sunday.