The Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee approved the Draft Criminal Code for the I reading and expedited procedure. 

 

Under the draft law, an adult’s participation in a crime together with a minor, with prior knowledge, either as an accomplice or a co-perpetrator, or an adult’s deliberate involvement of a minor in the commission of a crime, shall constitute an aggravating circumstance for all relevant offences provided for under the Criminal Code of Georgia.

 

It is established that, where this aggravating circumstance is present, and a fixed-term sentence of imprisonment is imposed, the term of punishment must exceed the minimum sentence prescribed by the Criminal Code for the committed offence by at least one year.

Furthermore, if the minor involved has not attained the age of 14, the imposed sentence: shall not be less than two-thirds of the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed by the Criminal Code for the respective offence; and shall simultaneously exceed the minimum prescribed sentence by at least one year.

 

The draft law also provides that, as with other aggravating circumstances, this sentencing rule shall not apply where: a plea agreement has been concluded between the parties; or there are legal grounds for imposing a suspended sentence.

 

The initiators of the draft law are Members of the Parliament of Georgia: Rati Ionatamishvili, Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Cheishvili, Sumbat Kyureghiani, Davit Matikashvili, Akaki Aladashvili, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, Aleksandre Tabatadze, Aluda Gudushauri, Salome Jinjolava, Irakli Cheishvili, Savalan Mirzoev, Tornike Paghava, and Zurab Kadagidze.