Appointment of comprehensive forensic examinations in case of the study of digital traces in the investigation of economic crimes

Abstract

Due to the ongoing digitalization of the economy, the study of digital traces in the framework of forensic examinations in criminal cases in the field of economic activity is one of the most relevant topics in forensic expert science. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the features of the production of complex forensic economic and computer–technical expertise in the study of digital traces, to determine the limits of competence of an expert economist in the expert study of digital traces. Within the framework of the study, the author set the following tasks: to analyze the types of crimes in the field of economics and the ways of their commission for the possibility of the formation of digital traces during the implementation of these offenses, to determine the types of digital traces characteristic of crimes in the field of economic activity, to determine the appropriateness of the appointment of comprehensive examinations, to analyze an example of expert practice for the use of special economic knowledge and special knowledge in the field of forensic computer-technical expertise.The author came to the conclusion that the appointment of a comprehensive forensic computer-technical and economic expertise is unnecessary in most cases, since the simultaneous joint participation of an expert economist and an expert in the field of IT technologies in writing an opinion and formulating a general conclusion is not necessary in most cases when investigating crimes in the field of economic activity. As a rule, the participation of a specialist in the field of IT technologies is sufficient to withdraw computer information from the carrier and then provide this information to an expert economist for research. At the same time, an expert economist is able to work independently with software products and computer files, for the study of which there is enough well-known knowledge.