Do not confuse contradiction with intentional wrongdoing
Providing records or asking neutral questions is not the same as inducing an expert or interpreter to distort an official function.
The proposition that needs proof
What instruction, benefit, threat or undisclosed contact is alleged, and did it concern the substance of the expert or interpreted result?
Every version should be examined with the warning, translation, interview conditions and information available at that time.
Create a version-and-contact matrix
Engagement terms, questions, drafts, communications, payments, source materials, interpretation audio and final opinion.
- 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
These provisions are orientation points, not a conclusion. An investigation may start under one article and later be narrowed, expanded or reclassified as facts, expert results, article parts, aggravating circumstances and procedural decisions develop.
Influencing a witness or other participant
Communications, threats, benefits and purpose must be distinguished from legitimate contact or representation through counsel.
Read full Article 372 text on this pageRead the relevant provisions before the external source
The operative English text below is reproduced from the official consolidated Criminal Code of Georgia, publication 296, accessed 9 August 2026. Formatting has been normalised for on-screen reading; the current Georgian-language consolidated text controls if wording or timing differs.
Article 372Exertion of influence on an interviewee, a witness, victim, expert or interpreter+
1. Asking or persuading an interviewee, witness, victim, expert or interpreter to provide, respectively, false information or false testimony, or a false conclusion, or to refuse to provide information or a testimony, and/or to provide incorrect translation, or to change the information or testimony or conclusion he/she has provided, –
shall be punished by a fine or community service for one hundred and eighty to two hundred and forty hours, or by corrective labour for up to two years or imprisonment for a term of one to three years.
2. Subornation or coercion of an interviewee, witness, victim, expert or interpreter to provide, respectively, false information or a false testimony, or a false conclusion, or to intentionally interpret incorrectly, and/or to refuse to provide information or a testimony, or to change the testimony, if it is accompanied by an offer of any kind of material benefit to this person or his/her close relative, or by a threat to kill, exert violence, or to damage, destroy property of this person or his/her close relative and/or by other threats, –
shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment for a term of three to six years.
3. The act provided for by paragraph 2 of this article that has been committed using violence, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.
4. The same act that is dangerous for life or health, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of six to nine years.
Note: For the act provided for by this article a legal person shall be punished by a fine or by deprivation of the right to carry out activities and a fine.
Open Article 372 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎How counsel turns the issue into a case plan
For influencing an expert or interpreter, counsel can identify the operative procedure and decision-maker, test the prosecution theory against each legal element, obtain lawful defence material, frame expert or disclosure requests, preserve objections and prepare the next motion, hearing or cross-border step. Advice must be based on the actual record rather than the page title alone.
Preserve every draft and channel substantive questions transparently through the procedural record.
Questions clients ask about influencing an expert or interpreter
Does Article 372 — Influencing a witness or other participant — automatically apply to Influencing an Expert or Interpreter?+
For Influencing an Expert or Interpreter, Article 372 may provide a starting point, but a page title is not a legal qualification. Investigators and prosecutors must match proved facts to every element, part and aggravating circumstance. The qualification may be narrowed, expanded or changed after expert results, new evidence, a defence motion, prosecutorial review or a court decision. Communications, threats, benefits and purpose must be distinguished from legitimate contact or representation through counsel.
Which factual boundary is decisive in a Influencing an Expert or Interpreter case?+
In a Influencing an Expert or Interpreter case, the evidence must distinguish an intentional offence against justice from mistake, inconsistency, translation difficulty or a lawful correction. That boundary is tested through the person's individual conduct, knowledge or intent, the legally classified consequence and every circumstance relied upon to move the allegation into a different article or aggravated part.
What evidence can prove—or undermine—the allegation of Influencing an Expert or Interpreter?+
The focused record for Influencing an Expert or Interpreter is not the same as for every offence. Priority material includes every version of the record, audio or video, interpreter material, contact history and objective corroboration. The defence should test provenance, completeness, authorship, lawful collection, chain of custody and whether each item proves the disputed element rather than merely repeating the accusation.
Can the article or charge for Influencing an Expert or Interpreter change after the investigation starts?+
Yes. For Influencing an Expert or Interpreter, Article 372 may be a starting map, but expert results, quantity or value, injury classification, individual role, attempt or participation, a defence application, prosecutorial review or a court decision may support a different article, part or legal outcome.
What should be preserved immediately in a Influencing an Expert or Interpreter matter?+
In a Influencing an Expert or Interpreter matter, preserve the original chronology, procedural records and the topic-specific material before routine loss or alteration. Early advice is important because informal attempts to coordinate or retract accounts can create additional risk; preservation must be lawful and must not involve hiding, changing or coordinating evidence.
Primary sources for this guide
Legislation can change and official English translations may lag the Georgian text. Check the current consolidated version and obtain advice before relying on a deadline, offence classification or remedy.
Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia↗︎Criminal Code of Georgia↗︎Constitution of Georgia↗︎