SSSG Anti-Corruption Agency arrests Georgian and Nigerian citizens over group fraud scheme

Officers from the Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) have arrested two individuals pursuant to a court warrant, following investigative and operational activities into a case of fraudulent misappropriation of funds committed by a group acting in prior collusion.

According to the SSSG, the investigation established that a Nigerian citizen residing in Georgia and a coach from FC Gardabani LLC fraudulently registered another Nigerian national under a fictitious contract at the football club. The scheme was carried out under the guise of assisting the individual in obtaining a temporary Georgian residence permit, in exchange for which the perpetrators extracted USD 3,000.

The investigation is being conducted under Article 19-180, Part 2, Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment.