Parliament Vice Speaker claims “dark money” from call centre fraud “fuels radical opposition funding”

Gia Volski, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Friday claimed illicit funds obtained through transnational crime involving fraudulent call centre operations were used in the “financing of radical opposition groups” in the country.

Volski’s comment came after the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia on Thursday said it had conducted searches “at three alleged so-called call centre locations” in the capital city of Tbilisi as part of a broader investigation into fraudulent schemes and money laundering.

Professionals of the Service on Thursday also searched Tbilisi flats of Sopo Gelava and Eto Buziashvili, employees of the United States-based Atlantic Council research centre in conjunction with the Concentrix office. However, the body did not disclose specific names or companies in its statement.

Lawyers told the press the search was related to a criminal case involving money laundering, fraud, and tax evasion, with computers and other devices seized.

In his comments, Volski also referred to a BBC report that in April 2023 mentioned Georgia’s wanted former Defence Minister David Kezerashvili in relation to a network of fraudulent “call centre” operations that defrauded citizens in Europe by offering them fake investment opportunities.

“If it is established that the recent findings reported by the BBC regarding Kezerashvili are true, this will deliver a serious blow to the opposition, which relies on his funding. The dark money obtained through these criminal activities is exactly what fuels much of the radical opposition”, he alleged.