Nino Tatoshvili, criminal defence lawyer in Georgia
False accusations, witnesses & evidence

False Testimony

False-testimony allegations: prove the exact statement, material falsity, knowledge, warning and context; mistake or later correction does not establish intent.

English legal guideTbilisi · Georgia-wide
Witness and integrity issues

Do not confuse contradiction with intentional wrongdoing

False testimony requires more than poor recollection or inconsistency; the statement, warning, materiality and knowledge must be established.

The proposition that needs proof

Create a version-and-contact matrix

Court recording and transcript, oath and warning, prior accounts, source of knowledge, translations and corroborating records.

  1. PreserveSecure every original recording, text and version.
  2. CompareMark exact additions, omissions and contradictions without paraphrase.
  3. ExplainTest memory, translation, disclosure, pressure and objective corroboration.
Criminal Code articles to check

Articles that may enter the qualification

Article 370

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 page
Relevant Criminal Code wording

Read 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.

First controlled step

Obtain the exact recording before characterising an inconsistency and assess any lawful correction route.

Sources & legislation

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 GeorgiaOfficial consolidated Criminal Code — current text & PDFConstitution of Georgia
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