Defense Minister Okruashvili Speaks of S.Ossetia Shootout

Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said that Viacheslav Kudziev, deputy chief of police in the Ossetian village of Artsevi, who was arrested on December 5, is a member of ?the criminal group? which is engaged in counterfeiting US dollars.

Viacheslav Kudziev was injured in a shootout with a unit of the Georgian Military Police while they tried to arrest Kudziev near the Georgian village of Ergneti. Kudziev was hospitalized in Gori with a wound in his leg.

?This case proves once again that South Ossetia is a nest of criminals? This was our third operation against those persons who are engaged in counterfeiting money. Unfortunately, in one of the previous operations one of the criminals ? Erik Dudaev – managed to escape, but we will capture him anyway,? Irakli Okruashvili told reporters on December 5.

He said that the Georgian law enforcers confiscated 16,000 forged US dollars from Kudziev.

Okruashvili did not comment on why the Military Police became engaged in this operation to arrest Kudziev. The Military Police ? a body of the Georgian Defense Ministry – was recently set-up and is in charge of maintaining order and discipline in military units.

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