Follow authority, knowledge and the transaction—not titles
Freezing preserves property during proceedings; it does not itself establish criminal origin or final confiscation.
What property and owner are covered, what legal ground and value apply, and is the restraint necessary and proportionate?
A flow-of-funds chart may show movement without proving beneficial ownership, criminal origin or what each participant knew.
Records that test the prosecution theory
Court motion and ruling, ownership and source-of-funds records, valuation, third-party interests, living or business needs and tracing.
- AuthorityMap signatures, delegations, approvals and system access.
- EconomicsReconcile contracts, performance, accounting treatment and actual benefit.
- KnowledgeSeparate each person's information and decisions at the relevant time.
- Proceeds and restraintTest tracing, ownership, valuation and third-party interests.
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.
Fraud
The investigation must distinguish alleged deceptive appropriation from contractual non-performance, commercial risk or a later inability to pay.
Read full Article 180 text on this pageMisappropriation or embezzlement
Usually requires proof that property or rights were lawfully entrusted or controlled before the alleged appropriation.
Read full Article 182 text on this pageLegalisation of illegal income (money laundering)
The prosecution must connect property to alleged criminal origin and prove the accused person's conduct and required knowledge or purpose.
Read full Article 194 text on this pageTax evasion
The tax assessment does not by itself prove criminal liability; amount, duty, reporting, control, intent and current thresholds require separate analysis.
Read full Article 218 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 180Fraud+
1. Fraud, i.e. taking property of another person or obtaining of title to the property by deceit for its unlawful appropriation, –
shall be punished by a fine or community service from 170 to 200 hours, or by corrective labour or house arrest for a term of one to two years, or by imprisonment for a term of two to four years.
2. The same act:
a) committed by more than one person with a preliminary agreement;
b) causing substantial damage, –
shall be punished by a fine or by imprisonment for a term of four to seven years.
3. The same act committed:
a) using the official position;
b) in large quantities;
c) repeatedly, –
shall be punished by a fine or by imprisonment for a term of six to nine years.
4. The same act committed:
a) by an organised group;
b) by a person who has two or more previous convictions for unlawful appropriation or extortion of another person’s property, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of seven to ten years.
Open Article 180 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 182Misappropriation or embezzlement+
1. Unlawful appropriation or embezzlement of another person’s property or property rights provided this property or property rights were lawfully held or managed by the misappropriator or embezzler, –
shall be punished by a fine or house arrest for a term of six months to two years, or by imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
2. The same act:
a) with a preliminary agreement by a group;
b) repeatedly;
c) that has resulted in considerable damage;
d) using the official position, –
shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment for a term of four to seven years, with deprivation of the right to hold an office or to carry out activities for up to three years.
3. The act provided for by paragraph 1 or 2 of this article which has been committed:
a) by an organised group;
b) in large quantities;
c) by a person who has two or more convictions for unlawful appropriation or extortion of another person’s property, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of seven to eleven years, with deprivation of the right to hold an office or to carry out activities for up to three years.
Open Article 182 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 194Legalisation of illegal income (money laundering)+
1. Legalisation of illegal income, i.e. giving legal form to illicit and/or undocumented property (use, purchase, possession, conversion, transfer or other actions in connection with property) in order to conceal its illegal and/or undocumented origin or to assist another person in evading liability, as well as concealment or disguising of its genuine nature, source of origin, location, dislocation, movement, its title and/or of other rights related to it, –
shall be punished by a fine or by imprisonment for a term of three to six years.
2. The same act:
a) committed jointly by more than one person;
b) committed repeatedly;
c) which was accompanied by receipt of large income, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of six to nine years.
3. The same act:
a) committed by an organised group;
b) committed using one’s official position;
c) accompanied by receipt of particularly large income;
d) committed in order to perform an act related to a political issue concerning Georgia, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of nine to twelve years.
Note:
1. For the purposes of this article, property, as well as income, or shares (interest) gained from this property shall be considered illicit if acquired unlawfully by the person, the person’s family member, close relative or related person.
2. For the purposes of this article, property, as well as income, or shares (interest) gained from this property shall be considered undocumented if the person, the person’s family member, close relative or related person does not have the documents that confirm that it has been acquired by legal means or if it has been obtained by the monetary resources gained from the alienation of the illicit property.
3. Under this article, large income shall mean income from GEL 30 000 to GEL 50 000, and particularly large income shall mean income exceeding GEL 50 000.
4. For the act provided for by this article, a legal person shall be punished by liquidation or by deprivation of the right to carry out activities and a fine.
5. For the purposes of this article, any such activity conducted or to be conducted with the aim of exercising any influence over the Government of Georgia, state institutions or any part of the society, which intends for the development, pursuing or changing of the internal or foreign policy of Georgia, and any such activity stemming from the political or public interests, approaches or relations of a foreign Government or foreign political party shall be considered an act related to a political issue concerning Georgia.
Open Article 194 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎Article 218Tax evasion+
1. Intentional evasion of taxes in large amount, –
shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
2. The same act committed:
a) repeatedly;
b) in particularly large quantities;
c) by a group with preliminary agreement, –
shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.
3. Alienation of property or its part to evade taxes, –
shall be punished by a fine or imprisonment for a term of two to three years.
Note:
1. Under this article, large amount shall mean the payable amount exceeding GEL 100 000, and particularly large amount shall mean the payable amount exceeding GEL 150 000.
2. A person shall not incur criminal liability under this article if the imposed principal payable amount has been paid, deferred or adjusted within 45 working days after receipt of a tax notice in response to a tax audit findings, or if the obligation of its payment has been suspended based on the law.
Open Article 218 in the official consolidated Criminal Code↗︎How counsel turns the issue into a case plan
For asset freezing, 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.
Identify every affected asset and interested person, then challenge scope with documented lawful origin and necessity.
Questions clients ask about asset freezing
Does Article 180 — Fraud — automatically apply to Asset Freezing?+
For Asset Freezing, Article 180, Article 182, Article 194, Article 218 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. The investigation must distinguish alleged deceptive appropriation from contractual non-performance, commercial risk or a later inability to pay.
Which factual boundary is decisive in a Asset Freezing case?+
In a Asset Freezing case, the evidence must distinguish criminal deceit or appropriation from commercial failure, accounting error and civil non-performance. 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 Asset Freezing?+
The focused record for Asset Freezing is not the same as for every offence. Priority material includes contracts, approvals, ledgers, bank records, tax files, devices and role-specific communications. 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 Asset Freezing change after the investigation starts?+
Yes. For Asset Freezing, Article 180, Article 182, Article 194, Article 218 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 Asset Freezing matter?+
In a Asset Freezing matter, preserve the original chronology, procedural records and the topic-specific material before routine loss or alteration. Early advice is important because a poorly coordinated corporate response can create conflicts, overwrite data or blur individual roles; 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↗︎Ministry of Finance Investigation Service↗︎