Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has charged a foreign citizen with fraudulently acquiring another person’s property on a large scale using forged documents. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation by the Interior Ministry established that a Turkish citizen allegedly devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain a Georgian-registered company owned by a foreign national, along with its high-value real estate.
The defendant allegedly used a forged passport belonging to another person and a fake power of attorney purportedly issued by the property owner. By submitting the documents to a notary and the relevant registration authority, the defendant allegedly transferred 100% of the victim’s company shares and the assets registered to the company into their own name.
“According to the investigation, to complete the scheme, the defendant sold a plot of land owned by the unlawfully acquired company to a third party at a price significantly below its market value,” the Prosecutor’s Office said. The alleged actions resulted in the defendant unlawfully acquiring the company and its assets, causing the victim property damage of GEL 2.12 million.
As the defendant has left Georgia, charges were filed in absentia under Article 180(3)(b) of the Criminal Code, concerning large-scale fraud, and Article 362(1), concerning the use of forged official documents. The charges carry a sentence of up to nine years in prison. The Prosecutor’s Office said it will apply to the court within the legally prescribed period for the defendant’s detention as a preventive measure.
