Azerbaijan aims to significantly increase financial inclusion and accelerate the next phase of digitalization in the country’s payment ecosystem. According to projections, the digitization of consumer-to-business (C2B) payments, which stood at 32% at the end of 2023, is expected to nearly double by 2027. Over the same period, business-to-business (B2B) payments among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are projected to rise from 5–10% to 15–20%.
Day: February 3, 2026
Georgian police arrested 45 people accused of links to the so-called “thieves’ world” in a large-scale nationwide operation targeting the criminal underworld network, Tbilisi Police Chief Vazha Siradze said at a briefing on February 3.
According to Siradze, charges will also be brought against 15 additional individuals, some of whom are already serving prison sentences, while others will be charged in absentia. Among them are three so-called “thieves-in-law,” a term used in the post-Soviet space to describe senior figures within the criminal underworld.
The suspects face charges including membership in a criminal underworld, supporting their activities, appealing to members of the criminal underworld, and holding the status of a “thief-in-law.” They face up to 15 years in prison.
The investigation found that “the so-called ‘thieves’ trials” were organized with the participation of already jailed and accused individuals, in which “the thieves-in-law located abroad, Sulkhan Japaridze (Tvalchrelidze), known as ‘Sukho,’ and Petre Bakradze, known as ‘Paata Tbiliski,’ also participated,” Siradze said. He added that the two engaged in resolving financial disputes between people who appealed to them and made decisions in accordance with “thieves’ traditions.”
Siradze also said the investigation revealed that another “thief-in-law”, Revaz Ubilava, also known as “Jvarski,” with the help of his mother and brother, organized “thieves’ trials” and issued so-called “thieves’ decisions.” Both relatives were also arrested.
“Law enforcement officers seized computers and mobile phones as evidence during searches of the suspects’ personal and residential homes. The devices were used to communicate with each other and with criminal authorities abroad, including so-called ‘thieves-in-law.’ Police also seized various types of narcotics,” Siradze said.
“The systemic fight against organized crime is a key priority for the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” Siradze added, warning that “all those who commit criminal acts will be punished with the full severity of the law.”
The latest arrests follow several large-scale operations against the criminal underworld in recent months, including an operation in December that resulted in 49 arrests, and another in November in which 34 individuals were detained, and one suspect died during the operation.
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