Georgia to ban convicted offenders of certain financial and economic crimes from leaving country

The Parliament of Georgia on Wednesday supported amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, which would prohibit individuals convicted of specific financial and economic crimes from leaving the country until they have fully compensated the damage caused.

Tornike Cheishvili, First Deputy Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, said the goal of the amendments was to improve regulations related to travel restrictions, making them a “more flexible and effective” tool for ensuring compensation to victims.

Cheishvili explained the restrictions would apply only when several cumulative conditions are met.

“First, the convicted individual must be found guilty of crimes under specific articles of the Criminal Code, primarily covering economic and financial offences such as fraud, extortion, embezzlement, misappropriation, property damage or destruction, concealment of assets, abuse of power, or negligence. Secondly, the offender must be either a Georgian citizen or a foreign national. Finally, the victim must not have submitted a written statement waiving the restriction on the offender’s travel abroad,” he said.

If all three conditions are met, the travel restriction will be imposed automatically, not through a court ruling, but by direct legislative mandate.

To ensure enforcement, the National Bureau of Enforcement will notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take border control measures, while the National Agency for Crime Prevention, Non-Custodial Sentences and Probation will apply electronic monitoring tools to oversee compliance.

Cheishvili noted the restriction can be lifted in two cases - when the convicted individual fully compensates the victim for damages, as verified by a notarised document, or when the victim formally waives their right to compensation.