Do not confuse contradiction with intentional wrongdoing
Changed testimony may reflect memory, fear, translation, new documents or pressure; it is not self-proving evidence of guilt or falsity.
The proposition that needs proof
What changed, when, after which contact or disclosure, and which version is independently supported?
Every version should be examined with the warning, translation, interview conditions and information available at that time.
Create a version-and-contact matrix
Side-by-side transcripts, audio or video, interpreter records, interview conditions, contact history and objective timeline evidence.
- PreserveSecure every original recording, text and version.
- CompareMark exact additions, omissions and contradictions without paraphrase.
- ExplainTest memory, translation, disclosure, pressure and objective corroboration.
Articles that may enter the qualification
False information, testimony, conclusion or translation
A mistake, inconsistency or corrected account is not automatically intentional false testimony; warnings, language and context matter.
Read full Article 370 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 370False information, false testimony, false conclusion, failure to protect the object of the expert examination or incorrect translation+
1. Obstruction of justice, which was expressed in the provision of false information or a false testimony by an interviewee, witness or victim, the provision of a false conclusion or a false testimony by an expert, the failure by an expert to protect the object of an expert examination intentionally or by negligence, and/or the intentional incorrect translation by an interpreter during the investigation or in court, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of four years.
2. The same act committed for mercenary purposes or other personal motive, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of two to six years.
3. An act under paragraph 1 of this article committed in connection with the criminal case, in which an accused person is charged for a serious or particularly serious crime, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of three to seven years.
4. An act under paragraph 1 or 3 of this article committed repeatedly, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of four to eight years.
The consolidated official source is listed in the source section at the end of this guide.
Prepare a version matrix and investigate the reason for change without coaching the witness.
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↗︎Criminal Code of Georgia↗︎Constitution of Georgia↗︎