Any defendant convicted under this article shall have the right of appeal to the superior court. The provisions of subsections (b), (c), and (d) of Code Section 5-3-5 and subsection (e) of Code Section 5-3-9 shall not apply to appeals under this Code section. Otherwise, the appeal shall be entered as appeals are entered from the probate court to the superior court, provided that the defendant shall be entitled to bail and shall be released from custody upon giving the bond as is provided for appearances in criminal cases in the courts of this state. Such bond shall have the same conditions as appearance bonds in criminal cases. The appeal to the superior court shall not be a de novo investigation before a jury but shall be on the record of the hearing as certified by the judge of that court who presided at the hearing below.
OCGA § 40-13-28