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

Withdrawing or Correcting a Police Statement

Withdrawing or correcting a police statement: preserve the original wording, warning, translation, recording and basis for correction before any further interview.

English legal guideTbilisi · Georgia-wide
Short answer

A person who needs to correct a police statement should obtain the original record, identify the exact error and seek advice before giving a further account; deletion or informal coordination can create additional problems.

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Witness and integrity issues

Do not confuse contradiction with intentional wrongdoing

A signed statement is not erased by saying it is withdrawn; correction creates another evidential record whose explanation will be tested.

The proposition that needs proof

Create a version-and-contact matrix

Original audio and text, interpretation, corrections noted at signing, later statement, communications 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
Article 373

False denunciation

An allegation that proves inaccurate is not automatically a knowingly false report; the original wording and the reporter's knowledge are central.

Read full Article 373 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.

Article 373False denunciation

1. False denunciation of the commission of a crime, –

shall be punished by a fine or community service from one hundred and eighty to two hundred and forty hours or with corrective labour from one to two years or with imprisonment for up to four years.

2. The same act accompanied by a charge for serious or particularly serious crime, or by a forgery of evidence supporting the accusation, –

shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of two to four years.

3. The act provided for by paragraph 2 of this article:

a) committed for mercenary purposes or with other personal motives;

b) resulting in grave consequences, –

shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of four to six years.

The consolidated official source is listed in the source section at the end of this guide.

First controlled step

Obtain the original record and make any correction accurately, promptly and without coordinating accounts.

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 GeorgiaCriminal Code of GeorgiaConstitution of Georgia
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