About improving regulation of the procedural order and the limits of changing the charges by the court

Relevance. The article is devoted to the analysis of the problems of law enforcement in the field of changing the charge by the court of first instance. The article examines a number of issues: the possibility of changing the charge if a criminal case is terminated on non-rehabilitating grounds; granting the court a power to initiate a change in the charge; establishing the obligation of the public prosecutor to change the charge; changing the charge by the court if crime is reclassifying as a private prosecution crime; the limits of changing the charge by the court; changing the charge if a crime is committed in complicity; eliminating a technical error in the charge by the court. The proposals by the criminal procedure scientists are studied. Assessment of the possibility of implementing the provisions provided for by the legislation of a number of foreign countries (Lithuania, Norway, Canada, Brazil) governing the procedure and limits for changing the charge by the court.

 The purpose of the study is to analyze the problems that arise when the first instance court change the charges and formulate solutions.

 Research objectives: study of possible ways to improve the regulation of changing charges by the court; analysis of the legislation of foreign countries (Lithuania, Norway, Canada, Brazil, Malta, Azerbaijan) and the judicial practice of the ECHR in this area; developing solutions to problematic issues of changing charges by the court.

 Methodology. The methodological basis of the study was formed by comparative legal and historical methods of legal science, as well as analysis and synthesis.

The results of the study consist in the development of theoretical proposals and practical recommendations for improving the procedural order and the limits of changing charges by the court in domestic legal proceedings.

Conclusions. As a result of the study, the following main conclusions were formulated: it is necessary to establish a power of the court to change the charge if a criminal case are terminated, grounding by articles 75, 76, 76.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; granting to the court a right to raise the issue of changing the charge are violating the principles of impartiality of the court and the adversarial nature of the criminal process; the limits of the change of charge by the court need to be clarified.

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