The Georgian Attorney General’s Office said on Thursday it had arrested three people for embezzlement of large sums of money through fraud and involvement in money laundering.
The development is part of an investigation underway since 2022 under the PoG in collaboration with the State Security Service and concerns individuals who, according to the Office, had fraudulently extorted $2,460,000 from a crime organizer whose assets were seized by authorities between 2021 and 2022 had been taken.
The suspects posed as representatives of high-ranking officials and promised the victim protection from criminal activities and favorable legal outcomes in the case.
To conceal the origin of the money illegally obtained from their targets, the individuals allegedly laundered the money by acquiring real estate and assets of high value in the names of relatives and associates, the PoG said.
Several properties and bank accounts linked to the defendants have since been seized by authorities, it added.
The Tbilisi District Court charged the suspects with fraud and money laundering, punishable by nine to 12 years in prison.