The return of criminal cases for additional investigation: the problems of finding the truth

Abstract

In the article, the author examines the issues of practical implementation of the institution of returning a criminal case by the court to the prosecutor. The relativity of the content of the truth and the degree of its achievement at various stages of the criminal process is substantiated. In accordance with this, the issues of ensuring the sufficiency of evidence and ensuring the possibility of considering the case in court in conjunction with the assessment of the quality of pre-trial proceedings are raised. The classification of the shortcomings of the preliminary investigation, entailing the appearance of grounds for returning the case to the prosecutor in accordance with Article 237 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, is given. The position of the prosecutor’s office on the return of cases from the court from the point of view of the purpose of this institution is presented. A brief comparative analysis of the stage of preparation of the case for a hearing in Russia and the countries of the Anglo-Saxon legal system is carried out, the positive experience of granting the court broad powers to verify the evidence base of the prosecution at the stage of trial is analyzed. Based on the generalization of the established law enforcement practice and using the comparative legal method, proposals are formulated to overcome existing problems in domestic criminal proceedings.