Pre-trial agreement on cooperation in a criminal case: on some common problems and the role of the prosecutor in their solution

Abstract

The article deals in a generalised form with the problems associated with the conclusion, change, implementation and termination of the agreement on cooperation in criminal cases. Based on the results of the analysis of these problems and publications on these issues, various options for their solution are proposed. At the same time, the main attention is paid to the role and importance in the implementation of the norms of this institution of the prosecutor, the insufficiency of its powers to improve the effectiveness of the application of the pre-trial agreement. The author sets the task to form a set of proposals to improve the legal regulation of the procedure for the prosecutor's actions, its participation in proving compliance with the conditions and fulfillment of obligations by the suspect, accused under the pre-trial agreement, in proving the guilt of accomplices in a crime committed by a person in respect of whom the criminal case is allocated in a separate proceeding in connection with the conclusion of a pre-trial agreement. The study used general scientific methods (analysis, deduction) and private scientific methods (formal-logical, comparative law, etc.). As conclusions, it is proposed to make a number of additions to the criminal procedure law, including Part 2 of Article 74 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation and introduce a new norm – Article 79.1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, as well as to take certain organisational measures.