Owner of furniture company put on wanted list in Georgia

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia has put Vazha Meladze, the owner of the Meladze furniture company, on the wanted list, accused of fraud and embezzlement on an especially large scale.

Meladze, who was released on bail of 7,000 lari during the investigation, fled in an unknown direction. According to the Georgian service of Radio Liberty, Meladze confirmed that he had left Georgia. He’s campaigning on social media to claim he’s innocent.

Together with his wife, he is accused of having fraudulently received hundreds of thousands of lari from citizens under orders for the manufacture of furniture that were not fulfilled. There is also a third defendant in the case, Novosti-Georgia agency writes.

The prosecutor’s office notes that initially 26 deceived citizens and the amount of 473,252 lari appeared in the case. But dozens more victims continue to apply to the prosecutor’s office. At the moment, 47 people are involved in the case, who were deceived, and the damage caused to them is estimated at 719,408 lari.

“Almost every day, new victims turn to the investigating authority,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The defendants in the case are accused of fraud on an especially large scale, committed by prior agreement. If it is proved that the main accused illegally crossed the border of Georgia, one more charge will be added.

At the same time, an investigation is underway into the facts of illegal acquisition and dissemination of personal data on the defendant’s personal Facebook page.