Involvement of an expert and conduction of an expert examination within criminal proceedings in the environmental sphere

Abstract

The types of examinations which can be carried out within criminal proceedings in the environmental sphere have been determined. The procedure for involving an expert and conducting an expert examination within criminal proceedings in the environmental sphere has been revealed. The problematic aspects of an investigator, prosecutor’s activity at the specified stage of pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses against the environment have been highlighted.

It has been noted that during the determination of the types of examinations to be carried out within criminal proceedings in the environmental sphere, an investigator, prosecutor must take into account the circumstances of the case and the complex of tasks that done by the court examination.

The author has researched the problem issues arising at the stage of involving an expert, one of which is the referral to the examination of materials determined by an investigator at his discretion, which are insufficient for the examination. In this regard, the author has offered to extend the content of Part 7 of the Art. 244 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine, providing the necessity to include besides the questions posed to an expert, the list of materials of criminal proceedings (including expert samples) into the content of the decision on the order of conducting the examination, sent for examination, since in most decisions this question is not reflected by the investigating judges.

It has been noted that the absence of a certain subject at the level of criminal procedural law authorized to appoint an audit, inspections within criminal proceedings, sometimes prevents the conduction of an examination. The author has proved the necessity of amending criminal procedural law in order to provide the investigating judge with the authority to appoint audits, inspections within criminal proceedings, as well as the detailed regulation of the procedure for applying to an investigating judge with the request for the appointment of an audit or inspection, requirements for such a request, the procedure and terms of their consideration, procedures for extending the terms of inspection or audit.

According to the results of the study, the author has concluded that the activities of a prosecutor at the stage of involving an expert and conducting an examination within criminal proceedings in the environmental sphere should be focused on the control: the correctness of the definition of the type of expert examination by an investigator and the timeliness of the appeal to the investigating judge with the request for the examination, completeness and quality of materials sent to an expert for the examination, adherence to the procedure for carrying out the examination and compliance with the expert’s opinion with the requirements of the law, etc.