“The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has brought charges against the former Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons, Labour, Health and Social Affairs for abuse of official authority by a person holding state-political office,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

“An investigation conducted by the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance established that on September 27, 2022, the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Labour, Health and Social Affairs announced a tender for the purchase of 70 emergency medical vehicles.

Three bidders participated in the announced tender, and the company offering the lowest price was declared the winner. However, the accused, acting in favour of a company that had submitted a comparatively higher bid in the tender, unlawfully terminated the tender announced by the ministry on artificially created grounds.

On May 10, 2023, at his instruction, a new tender was announced with modified conditions that were tailored to one specific bidder, whose management the accused knew personally. As a result, the tender was conducted without the participation of other companies and without any competition. The pre-selected company was declared the winner, and due to its comparatively higher bid, the ministry paid at least 2,138,000 lari more. The accused’s actions substantially violated the lawful interests of the state,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.

The detainee has been charged under Article 332, Part 2 of the Criminal Code (abuse of official authority by a person holding state-political office).

“Since the accused has confessed to the committed crime and cooperated with the investigation, the Prosecutor’s Office will apply to the court within the statutory time limit with a motion for bail as a preventive measure,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.