Author

Shipunova O.V.

Title of article

Death of the person who committed the crime as the ground for refusal to initiate criminal case

Section

Section 12. The problems of legal science and law enforcement practice: young researchers’ view

Issue, year

2 (32) 2015

Abstract

Death of suspect or accused, except in cases where the criminal proceedings is necessary to rehabilitate the deceased, is a mandatory, non-rehabilitating ground for refusal to initiate criminal case as well as termination of criminal proceedings. This implies the statement of the fact that the person has committed an act containing all elements of crime, but due to his (her) death law enforcement agencies refuse to prosecute. Such statement should be based on checking the crime report. The difficulties connected with applying paragraph 4 of part 1 of article 24 of the RF Criminal Procedure Code are mentioned. The author analyzes the procedural peculiarities of the decision to refuse to initiate criminal case in the event of death of the person against whom the proceedings for checking the crime report are initiated. The positions of the RF Constitutional Court on ensuring the access to justice and judicial protection for close relatives of the deceased to the extent provided by Article 46 of the Russian Constitution and Article 6 of the Convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms are analyzed. It’s proposed to fix the duty of the authorized officials to continue investigation in case when at least one of the close relatives, notified of the results of checking in respect of the deceased relative, objects to the decision not to initiate criminal case. In the absence of claims or petitions on the results of checking the crime report the decision on refusal to initiate criminal case should be taken.

Keywords

death of suspect or accused, refusal to initiate criminal case, rehabilitation, close relatives, relatives, termination of criminal case.

References

1. Sabanin S.N., Grishin D.A. Nekotorye problemy zakonodatel’noy reglamentatsii spetsial’nykh vidov osvobozhdeniya ot ugolovnoy otvetstvennosti [Some problems of a legislative regulation of special types of release from criminal liability]. Yuridicheskaya nauka i pravookhranitel’naya praktika – Legal science and law enforcement practice, 2012, no. 2 (20), pp. 59-66.

2. Chernova S.S. Smert’ fizicheskogo litsa, v otnoshenii kotorogo vedetsya proizvodstvo po delu ob administrativnom pravonarushenii, i smert’ podozrevaemogo ili obvinyaemogo kak osnovaniya, vlekushchie prekrashchenie administrativnogo proizvodstva ili ugolovnogo dela (sravnitel’nyy analiz) [The death of an individual, in respect of which the proceedings are conducted on an administrative offense, and the death of the suspect or the accused as grounds entailing termination of the administrative proceedings or criminal case (a comparative analysis)]. Vestnik Tyumenskogo instituta povysheniya kvalifikatsii sotrudnikov MVD Rossii – Herald of the Tyumen Advanced Training Institute of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation, 2014, no. 1 (2), pp. 106-108.

3. Derishev Yu.V., Zemlyanitsin E.I. Protsessual’noe polozhenie litsa, v otnoshenii kotorogo provoditsya predvaritel’naya proverka soobshcheniya o prestuplenii [Procedural position of the person concerning which a preliminary inspection of the message on a crime]. Yuridicheskaya nauka i pravookhranitel’naya praktika – Legal science and law enforcement practice, 2014, no. 3 (29), pp. 95-100.

4. Strogovich M.S. Pravo obvinyaemogo na zashchitu i prezumptsiya nevinovnosti [The right of the accused to defense and the presumption of innocence]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1984. 143 p.

5. Available at: https://www. proctmo.ru/ (Accessed 17 February 2015).

6. Krivoshchekov N.V. Moral’nyy vred, ustanavlivaemyy v khode proizvodstva po ugolovnomu delu (na stadii predvaritel’nogo rassledovaniya. Avtoref. Kand. Diss. [The moral harm established during criminal case production (at a stage of preliminary investigation. Autoabstract Cand. Diss.]. Krasnoyarsk, 2004. 20 p.

7. Available at: http://www.rg.ru/ (Accessed 17 February 2015).