Georgian General Prosecutor’s Office revealed a transnational crime and launched criminal prosecution against two foreign citizens on charges of money laundering.

The  investigation determined that the Vietnamese citizen and his accomplice gradually deposited the funds available to them in personal bank accounts opened in Georgia, after which they invested the funds in expensive real estate, in particular: in the period of 2020-2021, they bought two residential apartments in one of the prestigious districts of Tbilisi, two residential apartments and three garages in Batumi, and a land plot in Lanchkhuti.

Thus, the defendants managed to give a legal face to the illegal and unsubstantiated income equivalent to one million GEL and to include it in the legal economic turnover.

During the investigation stage, the above-mentioned immovable properties owned by the accused were seized, thus preventing them from further disposal and concealment.  In order to ensure the confiscation of property of criminal origin in favor of the state, the Prosecutor’s Office will carry out appropriate legal procedures.

The criminal prosecution against the defendants was commenced on the fact of legalization of the illegal income committed by the group, which was accompanied by receiving a particularly large amount of income. The crime provides for 9 to 12 years of imprisonment as a form of the sentence.

The Prosecutor’s Office will apply to the court with the request to apply preventive measures against the defendants within the time limit established by the law.

“The fight against money laundering is a priority direction of the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia. The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia actively continues the investigation in order to identify and expose other natural or legal persons involved in similar activities,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.