Officers from the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia have detained the former president of the Georgian National Handball Federation on suspicion of misappropriating a substantial sum of money through the abuse of his official position.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Department for Combating Corruption Crimes within the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia initiated an investigation following a report from the State Audit Service.

“The investigation revealed that the suspect exploited his official role between 2019 and 2021. Using the federation’s business cards in his possession, he withdrew GEL 464,496 from bank accounts via various ATMs and unlawfully appropriated this amount belonging to the Georgian National Handball Federation, resulting in significant material loss,” the press statement reads.

The suspect has been charged under Article 182, Section 2, Subparagraph ‘d’, and Section 3, Subparagraph ‘b’ of the Criminal Code of Georgia, concerning the illegal appropriation of a substantial sum of money through the abuse of an official position. The penalty for this offence ranges from 7 to 11 years of imprisonment.

“The Prosecutor’s Office will submit a request to the court within the legally prescribed timeframe, seeking that the accused be remanded in custody as a preventive measure,” the statement adds.