Article 128⁵ of the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia establishes administrative liability for a timber user's breach of the rules on the use of timber-origin documents and special tags, on the marking of timber, and on their accounting and reporting. The documentation of the origin of timber is one of the principal instruments of lawful circulation: it confirms where the timber comes from and thereby serves the fight against unlawful felling. On this page we describe in detail what this norm covers, what fines are provided, and how to protect yourself from liability.
What Article 128⁵ regulates
The first part of the norm covers a broad composition. A breach is considered to include a breach of the rules on the use of timber-origin documents and special tags, of the rules on the marking of timber, and of the rules on their accounting and reporting. It also includes the failure to submit unused and/or damaged forms of the timber-origin document or of the special marking tags in the manner determined by a resolution of the Government of Georgia, and, in the case of loss, a breach of the established rules for submitting the respective application — the fate of every form must be traceable. This list shows that the legislature controls the entire documentary chain of timber circulation — from the use of forms to reporting.