Representatives of Investigation Service detained one person on the fact of theft of natural gas

As a result of operative-searching and investigative activities carried out by the representatives of Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, in coordination with the Shida Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti District Prosecutor's Offices, an individual has been detained on the fact of theft of natural gas, belonging to “Georgian Gas Transportation Company” LLC - established with a 100 % shareholding of the State.

Investigation determined that the accused owned a bread factory in the Shida Kartli region for many years, supplying the region's population with bread products.
The accused set up a handicraft auto gas filling station in close proximity to the bread factory.

In order to illegally obtain a large amount of material benefit and avoid the costs necessary for the implementation of a relevant commercial activity, the accused, at a time and under circumstances unknown to the investigation, illegally carried out connection on two main gas pipelines belonging to “Georgian Gas Transportation Company” LLC. In that way, during the years 2024-2025, the accused secretly acquired the state-owned natural gas worth of GEL 4 347 000.

The criminal act committed by the accused, is provided for by the fourth part of Article 177 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which as a type of sentence, envisages imprisonment from six to ten years. 

Operational-search activities and investigative actions are being continued intensively, both for the purpose of determining the exact amount of secretly acquired natural gas and for identifying and exposing other members of the organized crime group, and also regarding the fact of a large amount of tax evasion by the accused.