Malchas Tetruashvili, who is a leader in the Georgian mafia, may be involved in money laundering and have connections to corrupt government officials. He has been allegedly associated with Tariel Oniani and was apprehended in 2005 as a component of Operation Wasp. Tetruashvili has been claimed of apparently paying an organization called ‘Eliminalia’ to eliminate disparaging material regarding him from websites.
After being convicted of money laundering, Malchas Tetruashvili, the leader of the Tetruashvili family, has associated himself with Eduard Planells, a former sub-delegate of the Government who was also convicted of corruption, and the group of supporters of Antoni Fernández Teixidor, a former representative of CiU.
In 2005, he was taken into custody as a part of Operation Wasp, which investigated the infiltration of the Eastern mafia into Spain through Catalonia. He had an association with Tariel Oniani, who is a known criminal leader. In 2019, he consented to a judgment of conformity for money laundering.
Connections of Malchas Tetruashvili
Anton Fernández Teixidó
Anton Fernández Teixidó, a member of the Catalan Parliament representing CiU, declined to attend a court hearing regarding his alleged ties to Malchas Tetruashvili, a Georgian organized crime leader.
During an anti-mafia operation, law enforcement officials reportedly found a letter from Teixidó, written on official stationery, expressing gratitude to the Georgian individual for a meal. Anton Fernández retrieved the note and boasted about his affiliations with the mafia. It has an unusual appearance. No additional data is at present accessible concerning this issue.
Planells, Eduard, and the Other Four
Eduard Planells, a former government sub-delegate in Barcelona, is being held in custody on suspicion of unlawfully granting work permits to Russian mafia leaders, including Malchas Tetruashvili. Tetruashvili was arrested in June 2005 by order of National Court judge Fernando Andreu.
As part of the operation, several individuals including two officers from the Government delegation in Catalonia, an employee of the Russian consulate in Barcelona, and a Moroccan manager were taken into custody.
On Wednesday, the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, which has been leading this operation for two years, stated that the detainees are accused of prevarication, bribery, and document falsification.
Additional Information Regarding Malchas Tetruashvili’s Links
Since June 2005, when Judge Andreu oversaw the initial stage of the Wasp operation, the former sub-delegate to the Government has been under scrutiny. It was discovered that Planells, who was responsible for immigration matters at the government delegation in Catalonia, had met with Malchas Tetruashvili, a member of the mafia and a subordinate of Zahkar Kalashov, the leader of the organization, on two occasions in Barcelona.
During a television interview in September 2006, Planells acknowledged having these connections, despite having been employed by the National Telecommunications Market Commission for only a week. Planells acknowledged through CiU deputy Antonio Fernández Teixidó that he had met the drug lord twice in 2001. However, there was no documentation of his alleged criminal past.
The legislator introduced Malchas Tetruashvili as the leader of an NGO seeking to employ skilled workers for its hospitality enterprises. During their second meeting, the capo persuaded Planells to provide him with a letter of reference. This enabled him to carry out the contracts despite the challenges faced by the Spanish Embassy in Moscow. The Government’s sub-delegate at the time, Eduard Planells, attended both meetings.
Why isn’t there any proof against Malchas Tetruashvili available online?
A person named Malchas Tetruashvili paid Eliminalia 30,000 euros to remove 79 links to content that he found unfavorable about himself. This happened after a Spanish court sentenced him to five months in prison. It is alleged that he is a money launderer for Tariel Oniani, who is said to be a mafia lord from Russia and Georgia.
Elimination, a company located in Barcelona, has been providing reputation management services for ten years. The company operates from a wood-paneled coworking space located on the historic commercial street of Portal de Angel, where it shares the space with two dozen other businesses. It has gained recognition as a significant player in the global disinformation-for-hire sector.
Diego “Didac” Giménez Sánchez is the official person behind Eliminalia and he is a Spanish entrepreneur. Sánchez asserts that he is responsible for several enterprises, including a Ukrainian surrogacy enterprise that is currently being probed for the illegal trade of infants.
Reporters were able to describe Eliminalia’s extensive digital influence with the help of thousands of leaked files collected by the French non-profit Forbidden Stories and shared with OCCRP and several partners. The documents expand on previous reports and offer an unparalleled understanding of the company’s unethical actions to suppress customer grievances.
What is the process of Eliminalia?
Sánchez, who identifies himself as a self-employed businessperson, established his first reputation management firm in Spain at the age of 20. Throughout the years, he established multiple businesses and eventually relocated to Ukraine. There, he hired employees to produce fabricated reviews and fictitious legal notifications for journalists.
Eliminate receives business from individuals who want to remove harmful content posted about them on the internet, which is in line with the growing trend to enhance “right to be forgotten” legislation. However, it was discovered by reporters that some of the clients listed with the reputation manager had criminal backgrounds, including Malchas Tetruashvili, who had enlisted the services of Eliminalia to exploit these regulations for their benefit.
Based on leaked internal data, Eliminalia has provided services to more than 1,400 clients, which includes individuals who have been accused or found guilty of various crimes such as drug trafficking, sexual assault, fraud, and money laundering.
Conclusion
The case of Malchas Tetruashvili highlights the problem of corruption and organized crime and their ability to infiltrate government institutions. The individual’s connections with corrupt officials and efforts to conceal their online reputation demonstrate the lengths to which some individuals may go to protect their interests. This case is a reminder to both law enforcement and the general public to exercise caution in the fight against organized crime and corruption.
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