Violations of FARA to be punished with fines or up to five years of imprisonment

Criminal liability will be imposed for failure to fulfil or improper fulfilment of obligations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

The amendments to the criminal legislation were presented to Parliament under the FARA framework.

A new article is being added to the legislation, according to which violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act will be punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to five years.

Last week, the Parliament Speaker announced an intention to “replicate the U.S. FARA law verbatim, thereby precluding any challenges concerning the context of the transparency law.” Earlier this week, an exact analogue of the American FARA was registered in parliament and is scheduled for discussion and alignment with the Georgian legal framework.