The ruling Georgian Dream party has submitted a bill to parliament under which one would have to obtain the consent by the government or an authorized person appointed by the government to receive foreign grants in Georgia.
Under the bill, the anti-corruption bureau will supervise the issuance and receipt of grants. Acceptance of a prohibited grant will result in a fine for the recipient, which will be twice the amount of the corresponding grant, first deputy chairman of the Georgian Dream party's faction Irakli Kirtskhalia said.
According to him, a grant is money transferred to the recipient gratuitously, so bearing in mind the purpose of strengthening the sovereignty and security of the state, it is important to implement a rule requiring consent of the government of Georgia or its designated authorized person or body so that external forces will not be able to bankroll campaigns in Georgia to romanticize the hurling of Molotov cocktails, violent rallies or other destructive actions.
At the same time, the bill sets forth exceptions. In particular, the government's consent is not required for international grants being allocated to:
- sports federations, committees and associations,
- individual scholarships for secondary and higher education,
- scientific work outside Georgia.
The parliament will consider the bill in an accelerated procedure.
On April 1, the Georgian parliament passed a law on foreign agents - a replica of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The new law introduces criminal liability and applies to individuals.
