Tbilisi Mayor announces penalties for public property vandalism

Damaging public property, including public spaces and municipal transport, will result in a fine of ₾300 ($112), while repeated action will be punishable by ₾500 ($187) or administrative detention, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced on Wednesday.

Intended as a preventive measure, the fines will be set for cases of causing intentional damage to infrastructure, inventory and other items of public use in squares, stadiums and parks.

They will also be used for acts of damaging infrastructure including traffic lights, outdoor surveillance cameras and public transport inventory.

Kaladze said “many cases” of vandalism in squares and other public spaces had been recorded recently and publicised by his office, with most of the acts committed by adolescents.

The change to the Code of Administrative Offences comes in a collaboration between the City Hall and the Interior Ministry. The current Code only involves liability for property damage if its value exceeds ₾150 ($56).