The legal and evidential questions
Illegal Pharmaceutical Activity. The first task is to separate product, consumer, IP, licensing and criminal issues. The statutory starting point shown on this page is Article 246 (Illegal medical or pharmaceutical practice). It is potentially relevant where unauthorised practice allegedly causes health damage or death; licensing, individual conduct and causation must be established.
Collect licence and authorisation records, product composition and batch data, prescriptions or sales records, import documents and communications showing each participant’s operational role and knowledge.
Regulatory non-compliance and crime are different
A product complaint, recall or labelling problem may engage regulatory, civil, IP and criminal routes. Composition, knowledge, supply-chain role, scale and harm must be tested separately.
Questions to answer first
Separate product, consumer, IP, licensing and criminal issues
Preserve representative samples and the complete supply chain
Identify manufacturer, importer, distributor, retailer and manager roles
Test composition, labelling, knowledge, quantity and alleged harm
Evidence that may matter
- Samples, batch and laboratory records
- Labels, packaging and marketing material
- Supplier, customs and distribution files
- Complaints, recalls and safety records
- Technical, medical and accounting expertise
Criminal Code articles to check
Illegal medical or pharmaceutical practice
Potentially relevant where unauthorised practice allegedly causes health damage or death; licensing, individual conduct and causation must be established.
Read full Article 246 text on this pageHazardous products
May apply to manufacture, import or sale of products hazardous to life or health, or unlawful labelling; representative testing and supply-chain role are central.
Read full Article 198 text on this pageRead the relevant Criminal Code provisions
The panel below reproduces the available official English wording for convenient reading. Check the current Georgian text and the exact article part before relying on it, because later amendments may not yet appear in translation.
Article 246Illegal medical or pharmaceutical practice+
1. Illegal medical or pharmaceutical practice that results in health damage, –
shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment for up to three years.
2. The same act that has resulted in loss of human’s life, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of three to seven years, with or without deprivation of the right to hold an office or to carry out activities for up to three years.
The consolidated official source is listed in the source section at the end of this guide.
Article 198Manufacturing, import or sale of products hazardous to human life or health+
1. Manufacturing, import or sale of products hazardous to human life or health, or illegal usage of labels on such products, –
shall be punished by a fine or corrective labour for up to three years, by house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or by imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
2. The same act that has endangered human life or health, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.
The same act that has caused human’s death or other grave consequences, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years.
The consolidated official source is listed in the source section at the end of this guide.
How the process may develop
Primary sources for this guide
Before acting, compare this guide with the current Georgian text and the exact document served in the case. The official English translation may not include the latest amendment.
Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia↗︎Official consolidated Criminal Code — current text & PDF↗︎Constitution of Georgia↗︎