Parliament Chairman Signs 'Foreign Influence' Law, Effective Beginning Today
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Parliament Chairman Shalva Papuashvili has signed the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence. The law comes into effect today, June 4th.
The Ministry of Justice will develop the relevant mechanisms within two months. Starting from the beginning of September, organizations will be obliged to register.
"From tomorrow, it will be considered published, and within 60 days from then, the Ministry of Justice will develop all subordinate normative acts, as well as create an electronic portal. After 60 days, the obligation to register and declare the finances of 2023 will be imposed," Papuashvili stated yesterday.
Not registering or failing to submit the declaration within the established period will result in a fine of 25,000 GEL.
Failure to register or submit the declaration within the specified timeframe will result in a fine of 25,000 GEL.
Failing to submit the application to the agency or violating the deadline for correcting any defects in the application or declaration will result in a fine of 10,000 GEL.
Repeated violation within one month will incur a fine of 20,000 GEL.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice will have the authority to fine individuals 5,000 GEL for not providing requested information, including secret, personal, commercial, or professional information.
Mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, stated that if non-governmental organizations do not comply with the "Foreign Agents" law, failure to pay the fines imposed as penalties will result in their confiscation and, ultimately, the termination of their operations.
"If they don't obey, there will be financial penalties, leading to confiscation and other consequences. They won't be able to function and won't be able to receive the funds they are currently getting. If you are doing a good job here and have no evil intentions, what is the problem with filling out the declaration and showing your finances, including your sources of income and the specific projects that are financed? However, there is a suspicion that this polarization and the financing of the revolution scenario were all happening because of this lack of transparency," Kaladze stated.
Despite all this, most of the organizations have stated that they do not intend to comply with the "Foreign Agents" law.
