Interior Minister: Tskhinvali is Source of Counterfeit Currency

Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said at a news conference on February 20 that the breakaway South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali “still remains not only the place where sabotage and terrorism acts are masterminded, but also the source for spreading counterfeit currency.”

Merabishvili’s comments followed the announcement that the police arrested a resident of Tskhinvali – Eter Kachmazova – who is suspected of possession and distribution of USD 20,000 in counterfeit bills.

Interior Minister Merabishvili identified Kachmazova as “an official from the trade department” of the unrecognized South Ossetian republic and said that she has Russian citizenship.