Security Service detains energy sector official over alleged embezzlement

Georgia’s State Security Service on Thursday said it had detained a senior official from an energy company on suspicion of large-scale misappropriation and embezzlement.

In a statement, the agency said the individual is the head of a department within Kodori HPPs, a subsidiary of Enguri Hydropower Plant, which operates in the occupied Abkhazia region.

Investigators alleged the suspect misappropriated significant financial resources. According to the statement, the detainee has cooperated with the investigation and admitted to the offence.

The crime carries a possible prison sentence of between seven and eleven years.

The security service also warned that crimes involving the misuse of state funds would be pursued even if committed in Georgia’s occupied territories.