Cabinet proposes Rada deprive law enforcers of possible abuse in investigating economic crimes
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a bill aimed at eliminating the possibility of law enforcement agencies exerting pressure on businesses when investigating economic crimes.
An Interfax-Ukraine reporter said that the respective decision was approved at a government meeting on Wednesday.
"When business searches are recorded [on camera], and when judges are aware of their responsibility, we will be able to feel the effect from the first days the law comes into force," Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko said, while presenting the bill at the meeting.
Business ombudsman Algirdas Semeta noted during the discussion that an important provision of the bill was the refusal to accept the evidence obtained during the search without video recording.
Petrenko, in turn, said, while speaking about the essence of the bill, that the issue concerned the legislative elimination of the possibility of law enforcement bodies exerting pressure on businesss during the investigation of criminal proceedings.
The bill's innovations, according to the minister, will concern a number of issues. Firstly, it is proposed to introduce audio and video recording when the investigating judge examines the issue of conducting searches and taking other measures: "Without recording, investigative actions will be invalid."
He also said that the draft law proposed mandatory admission of a lawyer at any stage of the search.
In addition, it is proposed to introduce an imperative to prohibit the seizure of original documents and servers during the investigation.
"Another revolutionary innovation is to introduce mandatory audio and video recording during the search," he said, expressing hope that this rule will enhance the culture of behavior of both investigative bodies and the defense team.
The bill also envisages a ban on the opening of criminal proceedings if an episode has already been investigated by another law enforcement agency and was closed.
Petrenko asked for the final version of the bill to be finalized in three days and submitted to the Ukrainian parliament.
