Criminal Defence, Administrative Offences & Investigations
Speak with a criminal lawyer in Tbilisi about an arrest, police interview, search, criminal charge or company investigation. Nino Tatoshvili and Tornike Chikovani represent clients in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and throughout Georgia.
Consultations and representation in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and regional cities, with remote case preparation where appropriate.
Speak with a criminal lawyer →Speak with criminal lawyers in Tbilisi about arrest, detention, questioning, searches, bail, trial, appeal, parole, drug offences, financial crime and cross-border cases. Nino Tatoshvili and Tornike Chikovani provide criminal defence and court representation and both hold additional juvenile-justice certification for criminal cases. The team works with clients in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and regional cities throughout Georgia, supported by legal research and case preparation.
Criminal defence, investigations and court representation, including matters involving children and young people, with connected civil and administrative work.
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Investigation and court-stage defence, including juvenile cases, detention, bail, financial crime, appeals and victim matters.
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Legal research, court-practice analysis, document preparation and case-file review, with a developing focus on criminal law.
View profile →A defence built on testing the search evidence, police testimony and lack of independent corroboration resulted in a full acquittal and release from custody.
Read the case studyA detailed review of the airport timeline challenged the alleged border crossing of the drugs and secured reclassification of the importation charge.
Read the case studyTell us what happened and how to reach you. Our criminal lawyers will review your enquiry before confirming availability and the next steps. For urgent detention or a hearing today, call +995 555 940 077.
If someone has been arrested, summoned, searched or accused, the next step depends on what has already happened. Select the closest situation to review the immediate rights, deadlines and documents to check. If the matter is urgent, contact a criminal lawyer now.
Immediate rights, the 72-hour arrest period and the first court appearance.
Read the guide →02Before giving a statement, confirm whether you are a witness or accused person, whether you may remain silent and whether a lawyer should attend.
Read the guide →03Practical steps during a home, office or digital-device search.
Read the guide →04Identify who is being investigated, preserve records and coordinate management, employees and legal counsel.
Read the guide →05Check the order, the property covered, the alleged link to the offence and any deadline to challenge the restraint.
Read the guide →06Request an interpreter if needed, confirm the reason for the stop and contact Georgian counsel before answering questions.
Read the guide →07An international alert and an extradition case are not the same procedure. Check what action, if any, has started in Georgia.
Read the guide →08Preserve evidence, report the matter and assess victim status and recovery paths.
Read the guide →09Defence, victim protection, police restraining orders and court protective orders.
Read the guide →10Immediate guidance after injury, death, intoxication testing or police questioning.
Read the guide →11Patient harm, consent, records, clinic conduct and reproductive-medicine allegations.
Read the guide →12Fatal or serious construction, energy and industrial accident investigations.
Read the guide →13Possession, storage, distribution, border movement, testing and confiscation questions.
Read the guide →14Review the original complaint, later statements, objective records and any allegation of witness pressure.
Read the guide →15Hacking, account takeover, private communications, online fraud and blackmail.
Read the guide →16Firearms, public-order incidents, self-defence and alleged resistance to police.
Read the guide →17Real-estate, land, inheritance, powers of attorney and registry-document cases.
Read the guide →18Illegal-entry allegations, travel documents, customs detention and foreign-national rights.
Read the guide →19Where to submit a complaint, what to include, what happens next and how to verify whether an investigation has started.
Read the filing guide →20A summons, interview request or request for evidence can carry different consequences. Check your status before responding.
Read the summons guide → 21Review the report, issuing authority, evidence, hearing date and appeal deadline before responding or paying a penalty.
Read the defence guide →Choose the closest allegation or case type. If you do not know the formal offence, start with what the police, prosecutor or complainant has said, or use the situation guide above.
Possession · distribution · import · testing
Hacking · account takeover · blackmail
Reports · testimony · witness pressure
Firearms · fights · police contact
Real estate · signatures · registries
Airport · documents · illegal entry
Confidential defence · victims · evidence
Accused minors · diversion · child safeguards
Directors · credit · cards · securities
Waste · pollution · logging · extraction
Deception · safety · medicines
Recruitment · exploitation · protection
Antiquities · provenance · export
Intolerance motive · threats · victims
Abduction · threats · forced movement
Assault, bodily injury, theft, robbery, homicide, extortion, organised crime and other principal Criminal Code allegations.
Our criminal lawyers are based in Tbilisi and advise accused persons, victims, companies and foreign clients in Batumi, Kutaisi and regional cities throughout Georgia. We explain the present stage, available options and the next practical step.
Advice and representation throughout Georgia from first contact with investigators through evidence, trial, appeal and post-conviction issues, including connected administrative-offence proceedings.
Criminal defence services →
Defence for companies, directors, executives and individuals facing fraud, tax, customs, money laundering or asset investigations.
White-collar defence →
Georgian local counsel for foreign nationals, foreign companies and overseas lawyers in extradition and cross-border matters.
International matters →
Help with criminal complaints, victim status, evidence preservation, asset tracing and related recovery options.
Help for victims →Criminal cases can depend on more than legal submissions. Where the evidence requires specialised knowledge, we work with appropriately qualified independent experts, define the disputed question, preserve the source material and test the method, limitations and conclusion.
Forensic expertise in criminal cases →We first check how much of the sentence has been served and whether parole or substitution of the unserved sentence is the correct procedure. We then review the penitentiary record, rehabilitation evidence, family and employment arrangements, and the proposed release plan.
Our lawyers advise prisoners and families on conditional early release, community service or house-arrest substitution, Local Council submissions, refusal appeals and post-release conditions.
For fixed-term imprisonment, the general thresholds are one half, two thirds or three quarters according to the crime category; at least six months must be served.
For substitution by community service or house arrest, the general thresholds are one third, one half or two thirds; at least three months must be served.
Reaching the threshold permits consideration; it does not guarantee release. The supporting file and release plan still matter.
These matters often combine an urgent police or prosecutor response with protective, regulatory, insurance, family or civil procedures. Each section keeps those legal tracks distinct.
Defence and victim representation, police restraining orders, court protective orders, stalking, threats, children and order compliance.
Explore the complete section →02Drivers · Victims · EvidenceSerious and fatal collisions, intoxication allegations, pedestrian incidents, vehicle defects, reconstruction and victim representation.
Explore the complete section →03Healthcare · IVF · SurrogacyPatient harm, consent, records, pharmaceuticals, clinic investigations, IVF, surrogacy fraud and cross-border reproductive matters.
Explore the complete section →04Workplace · Construction · IndustryFatal or serious workplace, construction, energy, gas and industrial incidents involving companies, officers, workers and families.
Explore the complete section →A summons, office search, seized server or frozen account can create legal, operational and reputational pressure at the same time.
We identify the investigating authority, the status of each person and any immediate deadline. The response can then address evidence preservation, interviews, financial and digital analysis, communications with the prosecutor and available court applications.
Bribery, influence peddling, procurement, grants, municipal projects and state-company matters often turn on approval chains, tender files, payment records, expert evidence and communications between public and private actors.
Explore the practiceVirtual-asset investigations can combine wallet analytics, exchange records, bank flows, device evidence, VASP registration, alleged illegal entrepreneurship and suspected laundering. Attribution, knowledge, control, transaction purpose and the lawful seizure of devices or assets remain central.
A complaint, the opening of an investigation and a victim-status decision are separate procedural events. Not every case follows the same process, and the applicable deadlines must be checked against the actual record.
Foreign nationals may face language, travel, immigration, consular and parallel foreign-proceeding issues in addition to the Georgian criminal case. Georgian counsel can separate those processes, explain the local case and coordinate with overseas lawyers where needed.
The authority named on a summons, search record, seizure order or court document affects the immediate response. These guides explain the role of each institution and link to official sources.
CriminalLawyers.ge is operated by Assio Lex and Associates LLC and provides English-language advice and representation for individuals, families, victims, businesses and foreign nationals. Our work covers urgent police contact, detention, investigations, evidence, court proceedings, appeals, parole, administrative offences and cross-border cases.
Discuss your case →A practical guide to immediate rights, charging, first appearance and restraint measures.
Read the guide →How audits, records, interviews and suspected tax offences can move into criminal procedure.
Read the guide →What an alert can—and cannot—do, and why domestic arrest and extradition rules still matter.
Read the guide →Establish whether you are being treated as an accused person, witness, victim or company representative before responding.
Preserve relevant records and identify evidence the defence may lawfully obtain and present under Georgian procedure.
Separate company, director, employee, regulatory, tax and personal interests before choosing a response.
Align Georgian procedure with foreign counsel, consular contact and cross-border evidence without confusing their roles.
These answers describe general Georgian procedure as of August 2026. They do not determine the correct step in an individual case.
Ask about your situationAsk for a lawyer immediately, use your right to remain silent until you have received individual advice, request an interpreter if needed, and avoid signing a record you do not understand. Georgian procedure limits arrest to 72 hours; an indictment must be given within 48 hours or the arrested person must be released.
An accused person may use a defence lawyer and may remain silent. Your procedural position matters: a witness, person being interviewed and accused do not have identical obligations. Obtain advice before deciding whether and how to answer.
Property may be seized through procedures set by the Criminal Procedure Code. The legal basis, link to the alleged offence, proportionality and impact on third parties should be reviewed promptly. A freeze does not itself establish guilt.
Identify the authority and warrant or urgent legal basis, contact counsel, preserve the integrity of documents and devices, nominate a response lead, record what is taken, and do not coach or coordinate witness accounts.
A plea bargain is a written agreement involving the prosecutor, accused and defence lawyer and requires court approval. The judge must review voluntariness, understanding, evidence and whether the requested outcome is lawful and fair.
Yes. Foreign nationals and overseas companies may retain Georgian counsel. Interpretation, consular communication and cross-border coordination may be important, but an embassy is not a substitute for a defence lawyer.
Yes. Counsel can assist with the complaint, evidence, victim-status application, communications with investigators and prosecutors, and the relationship between criminal proceedings and possible civil recovery.
Yes. We advise and represent individuals, foreign nationals, drivers, directors and companies in administrative-offence proceedings, including urgent cases involving administrative arrest, hearings, fines, licence restrictions, confiscation and appeals. Read our administrative-offence defence guide.
Each guide explains how the legislation affects investigations, orders, evidence and representation. The official consolidated source is listed at the end of the guide.
If someone is detained, being searched or about to be questioned, call us and explain where they are and what happens next. For other matters, send a short enquiry to arrange a consultation.
