Essence and elements of crimes in the sphere of official activity

Abstract

It has been argued that an official activity is the service activity of an official determined by the norms of current legislation, which is determined by his/her official position (legal status), and is also aimed at implementing certain tasks and functions assigned to the public authority, institution, organisation, etc. in which he/she works and holds the relevant position. It has been noted that an official has a special legal status, which determines the high risk of committing criminal violations, in particular, crimes.
 It has been proved that crimes in the sphere of official activity are criminal acts defined in the norms of current (labour, civil, administrative, criminal, etc.) legislation which are committed by officials within the framework of exercising their official powers. Such crimes may include a variety of actions, such as forgery, abuse of power, bribery, extortion, negligence, etc. It has been noted that crimes in the sphere of official activity seriously undermine public trust in the state authorities and can have serious consequences for each individual citizen, as well as the state and society as a whole.
 It has been stated that the key elements of crimes in the sphere of official activity are as follows: they are committed within the framework of exercising official powers by persons holding positions at the relevant enterprises, institutions, organisations; crimes related to official activities may involve not only the commission of any actions, but also inaction, which also takes into account the failure and/or improper performance by an official of his/her duties, which entails significant negative consequences for other individuals and/or legal entities, as well as the state and society as a whole; crimes may include a number of different actions, such as bribery, extortion, forgery, abuse of power, etc.; the crime may be committed only by an official who has official authority; crimes in the field of official activity may be committed for different purposes, including obtaining benefits, avoiding responsibility, etc.; special object, actor and subject of the crime.