Journalist Eliso Kiladze arrested in fraudulent call center case

Journalist Eliso Kiladze has been arrested in connection with a case involving fraudulent call centers, Prosecutor Mikheil Sadradze announced on Wednesday.

According to Sadradze, criminal proceedings have been launched against ten individuals in the same case, including former Georgian Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze.

“The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has uncovered another large-scale call center crime and initiated criminal prosecution against ten individuals on charges of fraud and money laundering committed by an organised group. The charges will be brought in absentia against the former Prosecutor General of Georgia, Otar Partskhaladze, who is in hiding, and against members of his criminal group”, Sadradze said

“Eliso Kiladze, a member of the organised criminal group, has been detained in the same criminal case. The indictment will also be presented to other members of the group [...] who actively cooperated with the investigation and not only confessed to the crime committed, but also substantially facilitated the resolution of the transnational crime”, he continued.

The Prosecutor reminded the public that between 2020 and 2023, despite the state’s declared legal battle against fraudulent call centers, several dozen such operations continued to function in the country.

According to witness testimonies, the majority of these call centers belonged to a group of individuals who used the proceeds to finance various opposition media outlets. A smaller number of call centers were allegedly protected by Grigol Liluashvili and Partskhaladze through members of their close entourage.

“In the said case, a joint investigation conducted by the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and the Investigation Service of the Finance Ministry has established that in 2020-2023, an organised criminal group with a coordinated structural form operated in Georgia under the auspices of Otar Partskhaladze, the purpose of which was to illegally obtain material benefits and subsequently launder money”, Sadradze said.

According to the prosecution, call center operators, acting on instructions from group leaders, lured users to fake trading platforms, promising profitable investments. Victims were allegedly defrauded of significant sums of money and cryptocurrency, after which the group laundered the proceeds through a process of placement, division, and integration of illegal assets.

Sadradze further noted that group members were responsible for ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the call centers, shielding their activities from law enforcement and rival criminal groups, providing informational support in the event of exposure, and, when necessary, discrediting or exposing competing call centers.

Four members of the group reportedly managed the day-to-day operation of the call centers, including decisions on expansion or relocation, supervision of business processes, income and expense tracking, salary and bonus payments, and distribution of funds to partners and patrons.

Another four members allegedly provided protection for the call centers through Partskhaladze’s influence, shielding them from law enforcement interference and competing organizations. They also reportedly participated in key decision-making related to the group’s operations.

“It is noteworthy that in the event of the call center's activities being exposed or there was a risk of such exposure, by disseminating relevant information on various media platforms, Eliso Kiladze ensured the legal representation of criminal activity. At the same time, in order to expose competing call centers that were not under their influence, Eliso Kiladze planned to publicly disseminate information about their locations and employees, threatened or disseminated the information, and subsequently created appropriate conditions for their recruitment through blackmail. For their activities, influence and information patrons received a solid monthly profit from the funds fraudulently appropriated from non-residents”, the statement said.

Investigators have reportedly established that between 2020 and 2023, members of the organised group fraudulently obtained approximately $9.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from more than 200 foreign citizens.

According to the prosecution, the stolen virtual assets were then laundered through multiple transactions and distributed across various crypto wallets managed by group members. Cash obtained through cryptocurrency conversion was allegedly used to fund the group’s operations, including salaries, bonuses, and other call center expenses. Funds were also allegedly used to purchase real estate and movable property, presented as legally acquired income.

The charges carry a possible prison sentence of 9 to 12 years.

The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the investigation, along with international cooperation, remains ongoing to identify additional suspects and victims and to obtain further evidence.