About Malchas Tetruashvili
Eliminalia received 30,000 euros from Malchas Tetruashvili, who was convicted of money laundering for infamous mafia boss Tariel Oniani in Georgia and Russia, in exchange for removing 79 links to unfavourable information about him. Following his five-month prison sentence from a Spanish court, he made this move. Malchas Tetruashvili, a presumed mafia boss in Georgia, has come under investigation for his purported role in money laundering and his relationships with dishonest public servants. He was taken into custody in 2005 as part of Operation Wasp and has ties to Tariel Oniani. Malchas Tetruashvili was recently accused of paying Eliminalia, a business, to remove negative information about him off the internet.
The National Court has declared Planells’ ties to the Russian mafia to be illegal:
The State’s former sub delegate in Barcelona, Eduard Planells, has been connected to the erroneous issuance of residency permits. Planells stayed in that role until June 2007, even though he was under investigation for his ties to Georgian and Russian mafias. Planells, two sub-delegation employees, and a third party involved in handling arrangements at the Russian embassy in Barcelona were brought to the attention of the anti-corruption prosecution after the Vespa operation. Thirty Russian and Georgian nationals were taken into custody as a result of the operation in June 2005 on charges of money laundering and illegal association.
Businessman Malchas Tetruashvili, who was detained and was thought to be one of the plot’s masterminds, controlled a number of eateries and entertainment establishments in Barcelona’s downtown through his enterprises. Malchas Tetruashvili was also the landlord of Tariel Oniani, the top global representative of this criminal organisation, who is currently missing. According to the judge overseeing the case, Planells’s record demonstrates an “unequivocal” connection to the Oniani-led organisation, which required criminal influence over public officials to permit the illicit regularisation of subordinates or subordinates to the organisation.
The judge’s interlocutory decision said that Planells had provided “arbitrary and unjustified” benefits to Malchas Tetruashvili and a number of his relatives. The former government deputy is charged with encouraging subordinates to handle multiple filings submitted on behalf of Malchas Tetruashvili’s firms in a way that was advantageous to them or that did not align with their preferences. Furthermore, he mandated subordinate authorities to handle certain files in accordance with their policies and convenience. In response to the prosecution’s request, the judge ruled that Planells was guilty of influence peddling and embezzlement.
The judge states that evidence that implicated Planells in his July 2007 arrest has been verified. He was detained by the police along with two sub-delegation staff members and a third individual who was involved in arranging things at the Russian consulate. Nonetheless, the magistrate has thrown out the charges against these three defendants, seeing that their “irregular behaviour” is relevant to administration but not illegal.
The Spanish National Police Force detained Eduard Planells, the former deputy of the Spanish government in Barcelona. The Anti Corruption Prosecutor’s Office carried out the arrest, claiming he had communication with Russian mafia members apprehended in 2005 and 2006 as part of the ‘Vespa’ operation. Four more people were taken into custody in addition to Planells, two of whom might have been members of the government delegation in Barcelona. Planells’ purported role as a middleman in approving members of the network’s work and residency permits has been the main focus of the inquiry.
Planells has been under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Central Court of Inquiry number 4 of the National Court since June 2005, when they detained Malchas Tetruashvili, the purported head of the Russian mafia. Tetruashvili had a signed recommendation letter from Planells dated May 2001 when he was taken into custody.
About thirty people were arrested in 2005 as a result of the first phase of the “Vespa” operation, which focused on a money laundering conspiracy and took place in Barcelona, Castelldefels, and along the Andalusian coast. The inmates were purportedly involved in the establishment of real estate businesses that purchased automobiles, restaurants, and bars in order to launder money from illegal acts that occurred outside of the Spanish state.
Nine persons were taken into custody for money laundering and illegal association during the operation’s second phase, which was conducted in November 2006 in Malaga and Madrid. A Russian lawyer who was supposed to interview Zakhar Knyazevich Kalashov, who is regarded as one of the top bosses of the Georgian mafia, in the Soto del Real prison, was among those detained.
The link between the Mafia boss and CiU’s man:
A fascinating tale has been developing for a few months concerning Antoní Fernández Teixidó, a CiU party member in the Catalan Parliament, who recently skipped a hearing in court because of his supposed connections to Malchas Tetruashvili, a suspected boss of the Georgian mafia. According to reports, Teixidó thanked Tetruashvili in a letter written on official note paper that the police found. The mafia boss might have been able to showcase his connections in this way. It’s an old tactic, but it seems a bit silly, as most people don’t thank people for meals with notes on formal stationery.
One of the most amusing aspects of the case is related to Teixidó’s failure to appear in court. Officials claimed that he must have been aware of the case because they had sent him a telegram. A telegram! One might wonder why they did not send a pigeon, like in the old days. Hopefully, more information about the case will become available soon.
Concluding remarks:
Misha, whose real name was Malchas Tetruashvili, was a businessman from Georgia who was allegedly a mafia boss who operated in Spain, namely in Barcelona. He was apprehended in 2005 during the Vespa investigation because he was thought to be one of the heads of a criminal organisation engaged in money laundering and unlawful association.
The Malchas Tetruashvili case serves as a stark reminder of the issue of organised crime and corruption, as well as how they can permeate institutions of government. His attempts to hide his internet persona and ties to dishonest officials show the extent some crooks would go to in order to further their own agendas. Law enforcement and the general public are cautioned by this case to maintain their vigilance in the battle against organised crime and corruption.