The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has charged one person with fraud through abuse of official position in the village of Shkmeri, Oni Municipality.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation conducted by the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance established that in August this year, the representative of the mayor of Oni Municipality in the Shkmeri administrative unit promised an individual that, by using his official position, he would extract 180 bags of peat from the forest fund in his jurisdiction without any permit. In exchange, the representative extorted money from the person on August 15 and attempted to fraudulently obtain 1,800 GEL.

The accused has been charged under Article 19.180, Part 2, Subparagraph “b,” and Part 3, Subparagraph “a” of the Criminal Code of Georgia (attempted fraud by abuse of official position), which carries a penalty of a fine or imprisonment from 6 to 9 years.

The Prosecutor’s Office announced that it will apply to the court within the legal timeframe to request imprisonment as a preventive measure.