Due to the high public interest, Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, explains that, as a result of operative-searching and investigative activities carried out by representatives of Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia during the last month, criminal liability was imposed on 23 entrepreneurs (17 of which are detained and 6 were pleaded guilty without their presence and are wanted), on six facts of manufacturing and using forged tax documents and legalization of illicit income by a group of people.

Investigation determined, that the accused persons, in order to receive especially large amount of illegal income, were carrying out operations without goods, on behalf of the companies registered in different regions of Georgia. During the above mentioned activities, they were manufacturing forged VAT invoices, and by filling in fake data into the tax declarations, were creating fake VAT assets, which later were used to pay taxes for those goods imported to Georgia, mostly oil products, and to cover current tax liabilities and other obligations towards the state budget.

On this stage, it is determined that fictitious assets created by the accused persons, equals more than GEL 85 000 000, which caused damage to the state budget equaling tens of millions of GEL.

Corresponding activities are carried out, in order to detect and expose other persons and companies related to above mentioned criminal activities.

Investigation is underway under the second part of article 210 and second and third parts of article 194 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which envisage imprisonment from 9 to 12 years.