Prepared by Messenger Staff
State Security Service Raids Retailers in Probe Into High Grocery Prices
Georgia's State Security Service (SSSG) has entered supermarket chains and distribution companies as part of an investigation into high grocery prices, saying it is seizing documents under multiple court orders.
"The investigation concerns the process of price formation," the agency said, adding that electronic versions of documents are being requested from various companies. The SSSG stressed it is "not interested in other financial matters."
The move comes two days after the Georgian Dream government's coordination commission on high prices for groceries, medicines, and gas held its first meeting to discuss an action plan. The commission is chaired by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and includes SSSG head Mamuka Mdinaradze.
It also follows a January 21 meeting between the commission and representatives of retail chains. After that meeting, Kobakhidze wrote on Facebook that product markups of up to 86% are "quite high," linking them to what he described as an unusually large number of grocery stores per capita compared to European countries.
Kobakhidze first raised the issue in December, suggesting that high prices could be the result of cartel-like coordination among retailers. At the time, he warned that anti-monopoly measures, including possible law enforcement action, could follow.
Two More Charged in Georgia Over Torture of Minor by Extremist Group
The Tbilisi Prosecutor's Office has charged two additional individuals in a case involving the torture and inhumane treatment of a minor by an organized group motivated by extremist ideology, the agency said on January 21.
According to investigators, the suspects were members of a group adhering to what authorities described as a "fascist-Nazi" ideology. The group allegedly targeted people they considered unacceptable because of their views, lifestyle, sexual orientation, or identity, including minors.
Prosecutors say the group carried out coordinated attacks on preselected victims, subjecting them to physical and psychological abuse, humiliation, and torture. The assaults were reportedly filmed and later distributed through social media and closed online groups, causing severe physical and emotional harm to the victims.
Both defendants were arrested on January 21 and charged with organizing and participating in group violence, inhuman treatment of a minor, and torture committed by an organized group. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to twelve years in prison under Georgia's Juvenile Justice Code.
The Prosecutor's Office said it will seek pretrial detention for the defendants within the legally established timeframe. The Interior Ministry continues the investigation to identify other individuals involved in the crimes.
