COLLECTION OF EVIDENCE BY THE DEFENSE IN UKRAINIAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: AN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE EQUALITY OF ARMS

Artem Kovalenko

doi:10.23856/6420

Artem Kovalenko Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3665-0147

Keywords: criminal proceedings, equality of arms, adversarial, evidence collection, defense party, investigative (search) actions, temporary access to items and documents.

Abstract

The article examines the procedural opportunities available to the defense party for evidence collection in Ukraine's criminal process. It is emphasized that despite the declared equality of rights of the parties to collect and submit items, documents, and evidence to the court under Article 22 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, during pre-trial investigation, the prosecution party has a number of advantages over the defense party in terms of available means of evidence. The procedural opportunities available to the defense party for evidence collection have been analyzed, comparing them with the actual evidentiary capabilities of the prosecution party. The author underscores that the current Ukrainian criminal procedural legislation contains precedents granting the defense party certain powers traditionally associated with the activities of the prosecution party. It is proposed to grant the defense party, the victim, and the representative of a legal entity, subject to criminal proceedings, the right to perform certain procedural actions during the pre-trial investigation stage, which currently can only be carried out by the prosecution party. According to the author, expanding the evidentiary powers of the listed subjects is possible provided that some principles are adhered to, including verifiability of procedural actions' results, creating no obstacles for the prosecution party, the usefulness of such expansion, and coercion is avoided. The mentioned participants in the criminal proceedings may be granted the opportunity to conduct inspections of computer data, interrogate witnesses and suspects, undergo voluntary inspections of a person (including medical ones), extract data from technical devices and technical means, and so forth.

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