The Lori Regional Prosecutor’s Office has launched a criminal investigation into what it describes as the “abuse of power” and expropriation of funds” carried out by the mayor of Vardablour.

One of the charges is that the mayor, while aware that the community’s deputy mayor had been absent form the job from January to July of this year, never reported the fact properly.

It appears that the mayor then pocketed the seven months of wages of his absent deputy.