Legal Committee backs Transparency of Foreign Influence bill in third reading
The Legal Committee of the Parliament has approved the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” in its third reading. The session, which lasted only a few minutes, proceeded without the presence of opposition members.
Before the voting, Anri Okhanashvili, the chairman of the legal affairs committee, clarified that the third reading was primarily editorial in nature, focusing on grammatical and editorial adjustments rather than substantial content changes.
Since no deputies present at the session raised any comments or questions regarding the draft law, the committee proceeded to vote, and it was unanimously supported.
The changes proposed in the draft law aim to regulate the registration and financial transparency of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets deemed to be “organizations carrying out the interests of a foreign power.” Such entities are required to register in the public registry and disclose any income exceeding 20 percent received from abroad.
Additionally, organizations falling under this classification must submit annual financial declarations. The Ministry of Justice is authorized to conduct research and monitoring to identify these organizations, with monitoring allowed once every six months.
Failure to register or submit financial declarations may result in fines ranging from 10,000 GEL to 25,000 GEL. The draft law also outlines fines for delayed submission or corrections to documents.
During the committee discussion, amendments were made to the second article of the draft law, specifically adding the term “non-commercial” to certain subparagraphs.
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Legal Committee backs Transparency of Foreign Influence bill in third reading
The Legal Committee of the Parliament has approved the draft law “On transparency of foreign influence” in its third reading. The session, which lasted only a few minutes, proceeded without the presence of opposition members.
Before the voting, Anri Okhanashvili, the chairman of the legal affairs committee, clarified that the third reading was primarily editorial in nature, focusing on grammatical and editorial adjustments rather than substantial content changes.
Since no deputies present at the session raised any comments or questions regarding the draft law, the committee proceeded to vote, and it was unanimously supported.
The changes proposed in the draft law aim to regulate the registration and financial transparency of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets deemed to be “organizations carrying out the interests of a foreign power.” Such entities are required to register in the public registry and disclose any income exceeding 20 percent received from abroad.
Additionally, organizations falling under this classification must submit annual financial declarations. The Ministry of Justice is authorized to conduct research and monitoring to identify these organizations, with monitoring allowed once every six months.
Failure to register or submit financial declarations may result in fines ranging from 10,000 GEL to 25,000 GEL. The draft law also outlines fines for delayed submission or corrections to documents.
During the committee discussion, amendments were made to the second article of the draft law, specifically adding the term “non-commercial” to certain subparagraphs.
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