Georgia has become a close and popular destination for Israelis, with hundreds of thousands of travellers a year flying to Tbilisi and Batumi. It is also a country where international arrest warrants are enforced at the airport itself. A person who is the subject of an INTERPOL notice or of another state’s warrant may discover it at border control, and then find themselves in extradition proceedings in a country whose language and law they do not know. This page explains how such proceedings run, and what can be done to shorten them.
Representing Israelis arrested in Georgia
I have practised criminal law, extradition and international crime since 1998, and I serve as Chairman of the Extradition and International Crime Committee of the Israel Bar Association. In a case conducted in Georgia we work with Georgian lawyers who appear in court and, at the same time, with lawyers in the state that requested the arrest. Our firm runs the whole case as a single strategy.
The Simon Leviev case in Tbilisi
Simon Leviev, known from the film The Tinder Swindler, was arrested on landing in Batumi under an international arrest warrant issued by Germany. I flew to Tbilisi, and we put together a team of lawyers in Georgia and in Germany. After examining the evidence, which showed partial expiry of the limitation period and substantial weaknesses in the case, I reached an arrangement with the German authorities for a one-year suspended sentence and the closure of the remaining files. The arrest warrants were cancelled and Leviev was released from prison in Tbilisi. We then acted before INTERPOL, and the enforcement records against him were removed.
The case shows that where someone is held on a foreign warrant, the quickest way out of prison in Georgia often runs through the state that requested the arrest, and not only through the local court.
How extradition proceedings work in Georgia
Georgia has been a party to the European Convention on Extradition since 2001, as have Israel and Germany. When a person is provisionally arrested there at the request of another state, the requesting state usually has 40 days to submit a formal extradition request. Requests are handled through the Prosecutor General’s Office of Georgia, and a court decides on detention and on extradition. As a rule Georgia does not extradite its own nationals unless an international agreement provides otherwise, but Israelis are in Georgia as foreigners.
During this period it is possible to act on two tracks at once. In Georgia, the defence opposes the detention and the extradition. In the requesting state, it checks the status of the case, challenges the warrant or seeks an arrangement that makes extradition unnecessary.
Israelis arrested in Georgia for other reasons
Not every arrest in Georgia is connected with a foreign warrant. Israelis are also arrested there over medicines they brought with them that are prohibited in Georgia, over business disputes or over incidents during a holiday. In these cases too the work is done with a local lawyer, while we coordinate from Israel and handle the contact with the family and the consulate.
What our representation covers
- Urgent review of the arrest warrant, the INTERPOL notice and the extradition request
- Working with Georgian lawyers in the detention and extradition proceedings
- Parallel action in the requesting state, including negotiation with the prosecution
- Seeking deletion of INTERPOL notices once the case has ended
- Coordination with the family, the consulate and the authorities in Israel
- Advice before travel for anyone concerned that a warrant may have been issued against them
Why early action matters
In a provisional arrest the clock is running. The 40 days for submitting the formal request are also the best time to act in the requesting state. Anyone concerned that there may be a warrant against them should check before the flight, and not find out at border control in Batumi. We can be reached 24/7 on +972-3-6969080.
Frequently asked questions
I have been arrested in Georgia on another country’s warrant. What happens now?
This is usually a provisional arrest, and the requesting state has about 40 days to submit a formal extradition request. During that time it is possible to act both in Georgia and in the requesting state.
Is it possible to get out of prison in Georgia without being extradited?
Sometimes, yes. In the Simon Leviev case, an arrangement with the prosecution in Germany led to the cancellation of the arrest warrants and to his release from prison in Tbilisi.
Does Georgia extradite foreigners to other countries?
Yes. Georgia is a party to the European Convention on Extradition and extradites foreigners at the request of other states. As a rule it does not extradite its own nationals.
How can I find out before a flight whether there is a warrant against me?
It can be checked with INTERPOL and with the state that issued the warrant, with the help of a lawyer. It is better to do this before travelling than to discover it at the airport.
Can an Israeli lawyer represent me in a Georgian court?
No. Appearance in court is by a Georgian lawyer. We manage the whole case and work with that lawyer and with the lawyers in the requesting state.
Official legal sources
- European Convention on Extradition, 1957 (United Nations Treaty Collection)
- Law of Georgia on International Cooperation in Criminal Matters
This page provides general information and is not a substitute for legal advice based on the facts of a particular case. A Hebrew version of this page is available at עורך דין פלילי בגאורגיה.
