Fraud is punished under Article 180 of the Criminal Code. It often starts from a debt, business or contract dispute — so a lawyer should assess early whether it is a crime or a civil dispute.
What counts as fraud
Taking someone's property or obtaining a property right by deception, with the aim of appropriating it. The key question is whether there was an intent to deceive from the start. Simply failing to perform an obligation is not always a crime.
The penalty depends on the damage
- Basic case — from a fine up to 2–4 years' imprisonment
- Significant damage (over GEL 150) or by a group — 4 to 7 years
- A large amount (over GEL 10,000), abuse of position, or repeat offences — 6 to 9 years
- By an organised group — 7 to 10 years
What we check in your defence
- Whether there was intent to deceive from the start
- Whether the damage was calculated correctly
- Whether this is really a civil dispute
- What correspondence, contracts and transfers show
What to do
- Give no statement without a lawyer.
- Keep all contracts, messages and payment records.
- Compensating the damage can affect the sentence — decide this with your lawyer.
Legal basis
Official texts (in Georgian) — Legislative Herald of Georgia, matsne.gov.ge.
This article is general information and does not replace advice from a lawyer on your specific case.