First Deputy Justice Minister says 469 organisations have applied for registration in registry of organisations pursuing interests of foreign power

Tamar Tkeshelashvili, the First Deputy Justice Minister of Georgia, on Monday said a total of 469 non-entrepreneurial [non-commercial] legal entities had applied for registration in the registry of organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power.

In her interview with Imedi TV, Tkeshelashvili noted that so far, this number had not been completed and would announce the final number at the end of the day after the end of the voluntary application period.

“Our agency is very eager to cooperate. We inform the representatives of relevant organisations in every possible way, the hotline is also working. Also, there is direct communication, consultation and assistance”, Tkeshelashvili said.

“The deadline for voluntary application is coming to an end, however, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and after that they still have time to apply again, however, this will of course be an involuntary application and a different mode will be implemented for these organisations, in the sense that it will result in a certain fine in case of violating the deadline. However, of course, this is necessary so that repeated actions do not take place and cooperation with the agency and the state continues and the purpose of the law is ensured”, she concluded.

The domestic law on transparency of foreign influence regulates the registration of an entity as an organisation pursuing the interest of a foreign power and other issues related to the transparency of the activities of an organisation pursuing the interest of a foreign power.

Registration in the registry becomes mandatory for all organisations with over 20 percent of their income coming from abroad.

Avoiding registration as an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power or failure to fill out a disclosure will entail a fine of ₾25,000 ($9,2 thousand).