Tornike Chikovani, criminal lawyer in Tbilisi, Georgia

Criminal offences

Criminal Offences in Georgia

Understand the accusation, the evidence and the next step in a Georgian criminal case.

English legal guideTbilisi · Georgia-wide

What matters first

A criminal charge is not proved by its label. The prosecution must prove the alleged conduct, the required state of mind and every fact said to make the offence more serious.

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Start with the document you received

What exactly is the prosecution saying you did?

Read the charge, accusation or summons word for word. Match each allegation to the relevant Criminal Code article, the conduct attributed to you and the evidence the prosecution relies on.

Do not assume that a police description is the final legal classification. Theft, robbery, violence, threats and document offences have different elements. The classification can change when intent, harm, ownership, consent or self-defence is examined.

Criminal or administrative?

Not every police case is a criminal prosecution

On this site, criminal offence refers to conduct alleged under the Criminal Code. An administrative offence is a separate, non-criminal matter under the Administrative Offences Code, and an administrative penalty is not a criminal conviction. Read the article named in the document you received; if it is administrative, use the administrative-offence guide.

Four questions to ask about the accusation

Identify the conduct the prosecution must establish

Test identification, intent, causation and credibility

Preserve exculpatory and contextual evidence

Assess lawful defences and alternative classifications

Criminal allegations in plain English

Common Criminal Code allegations

Article 177

Theft

Concerns covert taking of another person's movable property; possession, ownership, identification and intent require proof.

Read full guide →Article 178

Robbery

Differs from theft because the alleged taking is open; the facts may require comparison with theft or aggravated robbery.

Read full guide →Article 179

Aggravated robbery

Potentially relevant where an attack is alleged for the purpose of taking property using violence or a qualifying threat.

Read full guide →Article 181

Extortion

Potentially relevant to a property demand accompanied by a qualifying threat; the demand, threat, purpose and communications should be examined together.

Read full guide →Article 151

Threat

Requires examination of the alleged threat and whether it produced a reasonable fear that it would be carried out.

Read full guide →Article 117, 118 and 120

Intentional bodily-injury provisions

Articles 117, 118 and 120 address different classifications of intentional harm. Article 119 is deleted, so the medical classification, causation, intent and any claimed self-defence must be mapped to the current provisions.

Read full guide →Article 108

Murder

Relevant where the allegation is intentional killing; causation, intent and any alternative classification require separate proof.

Read full guide →Article 126¹

Domestic violence

Applies to qualifying violence, systematic insult, blackmail or humiliation within the statutory family relationship; injury provisions may also be considered.

Read full guide →

Find the guide that fits the facts

Browse by offence family

Choose the situation closest to what happened. You do not need to know the article number: each guide explains what must be proved, which evidence matters and what usually happens next.

Violence & personal safety

Physical harm, family safety, sexual allegations and exploitation.

Assault and bodily injuryMedical classification, causation, intent and self-defence.→HomicideCausation, intent and alternative legal classifications.→Domestic violence and family safetyDefence, victim protection and restraining or protective orders.→Sexual offencesConfidential defence, victim representation and sensitive evidence.→Trafficking and forced labourRecruitment, movement, exploitation and victim safeguards.→

Property & economic cases

Taking, demands, documents, companies, money and assets.

TheftPossession, ownership, identification and alleged intent.→RobberyOpen taking, violence and comparison with neighbouring offences.→ExtortionProperty demands, threats, communications and alleged purpose.→Property and document crimeReal estate, inheritance, signatures, powers and registry records.→White-collar and financial crimeFraud, tax, customs, laundering, companies and restrained assets.→

Drugs, weapons & public order

Controlled substances, firearms, police contact and coercive conduct.

Drug and controlled-substance casesPossession, transfer, sale, border movement, testing and seizure.→Weapons and public-order casesFirearms, fights, self-defence and alleged resistance to police.→False accusations and witness evidenceReports, changed testimony, pressure and evidential reliability.→Coercion, abduction and restricted movementConsent, threats, duration, movement and victim protection.→Border and travel-document offencesAirport detention, entry allegations, documents and foreign-national rights.→

Digital, road & specialist cases

Technology, vehicles, professional activity, products and regulated sectors.

Cybercrime and digital privacyAccounts, devices, communications, online fraud and blackmail.→Road traffic and serious accidentsInjury, death, intoxication, reconstruction and vehicle evidence.→Medical and healthcare casesPatient harm, consent, records, clinics and pharmaceuticals.→Intellectual property and counterfeit goodsBrands, products, customs seizure and alleged commercial scale.→Workplace and construction safetyFatal or serious incidents, company roles and technical evidence.→

Need advice on this issue?

Discuss the facts, documents and next decision.

Use the urgent route for detention, searches, questioning or time-critical international matters. Standard and corporate enquiries can be scheduled separately.

Urgent assistance →Request consultation