Prosecutor General’s Office ‘confirms’ Georgia used to help Russia evade sanctions, UNM opposition

Vaso Urushadze, the anti-corruption secretary of the United National Movement opposition party on Wednesday claimed that the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office had confirmed Georgia was used as a hub to help Russia bypass Western sanctions.

Urushadze said in a social media post that Russian funds were allegedly laundered through fake Georgian companies to finance the purchase of sanctioned goods for re-export to Russia.

He alleged that illicit cash in Russian roubles was brought into Georgia, converted into euros and dollars using forged documents, and transferred to European banks through fictitious Georgian firms. The goods bought with these funds were then allegedly shipped back to Russia via Georgia, he said.

Urushadze claimed that some officials personally profited from shielding this transnational scheme between 2022 and 2024, and suggested it may still be operating under new protectors and business entities.

He also said the scheme brought no benefit to Georgia’s economy or job creation, aside from enriching a small number of officials and their families.

Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has announced the discovery of what it called an “unprecedented” money laundering scheme worth about $624m and €35m, allegedly carried out between 2022 and 2024.

At a briefing on Tuesday, prosecutors said the operation was uncovered during a joint investigation with the State Security Service, and that one suspect has been arrested and charged with laundering illicit income on a massive scale.

According to investigators, members of a criminal group systematically smuggled large amounts of undeclared foreign currency from neighbouring countries in hidden compartments of vehicles, bypassing customs procedures. The cash was delivered to a currency exchange point owned by the accused, who allegedly disguised the funds as legitimate revenue from foreign exchange operations by submitting falsified documents to commercial banks.

The funds were then converted into euros and US dollars, transferred to other individuals, used for acquiring assets, and reintroduced into legal circulation, prosecutors said. Authorities have seized large amounts of cash and are initiating legal steps to confiscate the suspect’s assets. If convicted, the accused faces up to 12 years in prison.

The Prosecutor’s Office noted that seven people had previously been convicted in similar cases, with around 13 million GEL in assets confiscated.