As a result of operative-searching and investigative activities, representatives of Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, detained three persons on the fact of manufacturing and using forged tax document, large amount of property damage to the state budget and concealment of a large amount of property in a fraudulent transaction.

Investigation determined that the accused persons, in order to receive illegal material benefit, on behalf of one of the companies under their management, during 2016-2018, submitted adjusted VAT returns to the tax authority, where false data was provided, thus created counterfeit assets in the amount of GEL 2 209 207, which were later used to cover the budget liabilities.

Investigation also determined, that the accused, in order to avoid expected property liability, real estate and movable property having value GEL 3 103 197 which was registered on the name of the company under their management, re-registered in the name of another company under their management by issuing fraudulent transactions and forged tax invoices. Thus depriving the state of the opportunity to pay the company’s debt to the budget by selling their property. At the same time, as a result of the above-mentioned fraudulent operation, the company participating in the transaction received a so-called “fictitious pass” of the VAT in the amount of GEL 1 146 101, fictitious credit of which GEL 399 128 was used to cover budget taxes.

During the investigation, real estate and movable property in the name of the accused, as well as bank accounts, were seized in order to recover the damage caused to the budget.

Investigation is underway under the second part of Article 210 and second and third parts of Articles 185 and 2051 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which envisages imprisonment from 6 to 9 years.