TBILISI, February 3. /TASS/. The Georgian parliament has passed amendments to the law On Grants aimed at preventing the circumvention of the law to finance unrest in the country in the first reading, according to a live broadcast of the vote on the legislature’s website.

According to Archil Gorduladze, chairman of the parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, parliament learned from European Commissioner Marta Kos and the European Union representative in Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky that certain EU figures had allocated a large sum of money, which they are now trying to deliver to Georgia via back channels.

The amendments were drafted by the ruling party, Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia. Earlier, the leader of the ruling faction, Irakli Kirtskhalia, said that the bill aims to combat the financing of unrest in the country.

Under the amendments, any sums of money transferred to any person that can be used to shape Georgia’s domestic or foreign policy will be considered a grant. Funds that can be used in the interests of foreign authorities or political parties will also be treated as grants. The receipt of such grants will have to be approved by the government. Money allocated for a recipient to acquire specialized knowledge from experts will also be considered a grant.

Violations of the law On Grants will incur criminal liability. Punishments include a fine, 300 to 500 hours of community service, or imprisonment for up to six years. Money laundering for political activities will be punishable by imprisonment for nine to twelve years. A political party leader who receives funding from abroad may face up to six years in prison. In addition, lobbying on political issues related to Georgia abroad and paying for it with money or other means may result in imprisonment for up to six years.