Subjects of Criminal Bankruptcy: Assessment of Legislative Novelties and Perspectives of their Enforcement

Abstract

Allocation of qualified criminal bankruptcy structures based on the characteristics of the subject will definitely solve the problem of disproportion in the number of reported crimes and sentences due to stricter sanctions and, as a result, longer periods of limitation for criminal prosecution. Meanwhile, violations of technical and legal rules committed in the process of rulemaking resulted in the situation when designs of illegal actions in bankruptcy and intentional bankruptcy are divided into two groups: acts committed by debtors-citizens, and acts committed in connection with the business activities of legal entities. At the same time, identity of socially dangerous consequences laid down by the legislator in both groups of bankruptcies and unsettled sanctions for the commission of the corresponding crimes allowed the author to raise the question of violation of the principle of equality, which cannot be justified by the differentiation of criminal liability. In turn, unjustified reception of insolvency law provisions will lead to the situation when determining the signs of a controlling debtor, judicial practice will follow a path similar to the establishment of a situation of unlawful actions in bankruptcy, which contradicts the insolvency law and the practice of its application. In addition, there is a risk that innovations provided for under Part 2.1 Article 195 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation will in no way affect the heads of debtor organizations. The author concludes that it is not expedient to supplement Article 195 of the Criminal Code with Part 4 and provides the wording for Parts 1, 1.1, 2.1 of Article 195, Part 1, 2 of Article 196 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with due regard to the meaning laid down by the law-maker when reforming relevant criminal law rules and the rules for designing the elements of crimes.