On October 14, based on the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office [PoG] of Georgia, Giorgi Khatiashvili, accused of transnational organized crime, was extradited from the Republic of Argentina to Georgia.

The extradited person is accused of facilitating the illegal stay of a Georgian citizen in a foreign country by a criminal group, facilitating and organizing the submission of false information for a Georgian citizen to obtain asylum in a foreign country, and producing and issuing a false official document. Also, 9 persons have been held accountable in the aforementioned criminal case.

As a result of a joint operation conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and the Regional Security Service of the United States Embassy, organized criminal groups have been identified and it has been established that the tightening of immigration policy in the US has made border crossing more difficult. Giorgi Khatiashvili, together with individuals accused of crimes, formed a criminal group in order to obtain material benefits, the purpose of which was to create false stories, so-called “cases” and corresponding false evidence necessary for Georgian citizens seeking asylum in the United States.

Members of the criminal group convinced Georgian citizens that with the help of documents they had prepared and stories they had created, they would be able to obtain asylum in the US without any problems.

Members of the group wrote non-existent stories about how Georgian citizens were persecuted in Georgia for various reasons, including political views, sexual orientation, persecution by law enforcement officers, and other reasons. In order to substantiate these stories, members of the group prepared fake documents.

The investigation identified more than 1,000 individuals to whom members of the criminal group offered their services between 2023 and 2026 and received approximately 600 thousand GEL, 2,250,000 USD, and 12,500 EUR from them.

Another person wanted in the case has been extradited from Germany as a result of effective international legal cooperation implemented by the PoG.

The Georgian side’s request was fully granted by the competent authorities of the Argentine Republic, which is a precedent, as it is the first extradition case to be carried out from countries outside Europe and the region.

We also thank the Ministry of Justice and the Special Penitentiary Service for taking the necessary measures for extradition within the scope of their competence. It should be noted that the PoG actively cooperated with foreign partners in this case, and in particular, the active involvement of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Regional Security Service of the US Embassy in Tbilisi should be emphasized.