As a result of operative-searching and investigative activities carried out by the representatives of Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia, a foreign citizen, S.P. - the manager of an unregistered virtual assets service provider has been detained.

Investigation determined that the user contacted an unregistered virtual asset service provider in order to transfer funds from a foreign country to Georgia. S.P., for the purpose of allegedly providing services, instructed the customer to transfer the amount of EUR 72 800 to a trusted person abroad.

Investigation also established that the accused received a virtual asset from a foreign state, equivalent to the transferred amount and instead of handing over the cash to the customer, he illegally took possession of it. The criminal act committed is provided for by the Article 180, part 3, subparagraph "b" of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which as a type and extent of sentence, envisages imprisonment from 6 to 9 years.

Investigation is underway in order to identify other individuals, involved in the abovementioned crime and to detect the cases of illegal entrepreneurial activities and legalization of illegal income.