Objective side of illegal influence on the results of official sports competitions

Abstract

In connection with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine «On State Regulation of Activities Concerning the Organization and Conduct of Gambling» № 768-IX of July 14, 2020, the gambling business was legalized in Ukraine. This law, in particular, is intended to regulate the organization and conduct of gambling on the Internet. However, the legislator with this step further complicated the application of Part 3 of Art. 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the ban on placing bets on sports related to the manipulation of official sports competitions with the result of improper advantage). After all, before the legalization of the gambling business, information about convicted individuals under Art. 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine were absent. As part of the study, a survey was conducted among operational and investigative officers of the National Police of Ukraine in Dnipro and Dnipropetrovsk region (230 respondents) and it was found that today there is a very high level of latency of crimes under Art. 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (190 respondents indicated, which is 83 % of the total number of respondents) and problems with the use of evidence in the judiciary (203 respondents, which is 88 % of the total number of respondents). Based on the study of doctrinal sources and empirical material this scientific article determines the forms of manifestation of the objective side of the illegal influence on the results of official sports competitions and it was established that the crime prescribed by Part 1 of Art. 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine in the first form is committed exclusively by active actions (bribery, coercion, incitement or conspiracy) – material in construction. In the second form, the illegal influence on the results of official sports competitions, prescribed by Part 1 of Art. 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, is committed by passive actions, and lies in obtaining illegal benefits for themselves or a third party. It is formal, because the consequences are not mandatory. The crime provided by Part 3 of Art. 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is material, is committed exclusively through active action, and is completed only in the event of socially dangerous consequences, which are defined as a mandatory feature of Part 3 of Art. 369-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and are in violation of the ban on betting on sports. The author believes that the study of the content of the crime, and in particular the objective side, affects the correct solution of emerging issues of criminal law regulation and requires constant scientific research.