Georgia’s Revenue Service said it identified a suspected attempt to falsify documents and bypass customs controls while transporting sanctioned goods involving an Azerbaijani-registered truck at the Sarpi customs checkpoint.
According to the agency, on July 24, a vehicle with Azerbaijan license plates entered Georgia from Turkey, driven by an Azerbaijani citizen. During the inspection of documents submitted for general declaration, officials determined that the truck was transporting goods of European origin from Turkey to Russia in transit.
As part of enforcing European Union sanctions, the vehicle was sent back to Turkey. Several hours later, the same vehicle attempted to enter Georgia again, with the driver submitting a new certificate indicating Turkey as the country of origin of the goods.
The Revenue Service said customs officers conducted a partial visual inspection after suspicions arose and found that factory labels on the cargo identified Germany and Croatia as the countries of origin. Due to signs of possible document falsification and an attempt to transport sanctioned goods while avoiding customs controls, the case materials were transferred to the Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance for further action.
