On the problems of using evidence, collected during criminal intelligence and surveillance operations, in criminal proceedings

Abstract

The research subject is the problems of using evidence, collected during criminal intelligence and surveillance operations, in criminal procedure in Russia, considered in the context of provision of human and civil rights and freedoms and the observance of the principle of legal certainty. The purpose of the research is to define the key problems of using evidence, collected during criminal intelligence and surveillance operations, in criminal proceedings, and the development of the ways to solve them. The research methodology is based on the system and comprehensive approaches and includes the set of general scientific and specific research methods, particularly analysis, synthesis, formal-legal, comparative legal methods, etc. To achieve the research goal, the author analyzes the practice of Supreme Courts of Russia, the European Court of Human Rights, the doctrinal views of Russian processualists, and defines the key problems of using evidence collected during criminal intelligence and surveillance operations, in criminal proceedings, and formulates the ways to solve them. The author finds out that the judicial practice and doctrine mainly consider certain aspects of the problem under study, with no system approach to its understanding; the author proves that the main problem lies in the field of provision of human and civil rights and freedoms, and the observance of the principle of legal certainty; the author formulates recommendations about amending the legislation based on the constitutional principles and international standards, and the following legalization of evidence collected during criminal intelligence and surveillance operations. The conclusions of the research can be used in the work of law-enforcement bodies and for further research in the field of criminal procedure.