Eight individuals have been brought to criminal responsibility as a result of operational-search and investigative measures conducted in a corruption scheme case involving the former management of Georgian Railways, stated during a briefing held by the Georgian State Security Service, APA's local bureau reports.
Two individuals have been charged in absentia and placed on a wanted list. One of them is Davit Peradze, the former Director General of Georgian Railways.
The investigation established that in the autumn of 2019, Peradze created an organized criminal group with the aim of fraudulently misappropriating major assets belonging to the company. Under a prearranged scheme, the group collected, transported, cut and sorted the company’s scrap metal in a manner that made it impossible to determine its exact original volume. In addition, customs documents were unlawfully processed through preselected companies.
As a result, 22,120 tons of scrap metal were illegally misappropriated and, after being laundered, sold for 17,391,121 lari. The proceeds were subsequently distributed among members of the group.
The investigation also found that in 2022, a rail repair contract worth $999,768 was signed between Georgian Railways and Raveldi LLC, while figures in the acceptance and delivery documents were allegedly inflated.
The investigation is ongoing.
Members of the criminal group face prison sentences ranging from 9 to 12 years. The State Security Service continues efforts to identify other members of the group.
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