Convicted financial and economic offenders to be banned from leaving Georgia until full compensation of damages

Georgian Parliament has adopted amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code in the third reading under an accelerated procedure, introducing a ban on leaving the country for individuals convicted of certain financial and economic crimes until they have fully compensated the damages caused.

The bill was presented to lawmakers by Tornike Cheishvili, First Deputy Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee. It was approved with 78 votes in favour.

According to the new regulation, the travel restriction will not require a separate court ruling but will instead be imposed automatically based on the legislative provision, provided several preconditions are met:

The individual has been convicted under specific articles of the Criminal Code related to financial and economic crimes, including fraud, extortion, embezzlement, misappropriation, property damage or destruction, concealment of assets, abuse of power, or negligence;

The convicted person is either a Georgian citizen or a foreign national with legal status in Georgia;

The victim has not submitted a written statement waiving their right to restrict the offender’s travel abroad until full compensation is made.

As Cheishvili explained, the enforcement mechanism for the travel ban will be defined by a joint order of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia.