(2019) 4 Visn. Nac. akad. prokur. Ukr. 97–107
https://doi.org/10.34285/visnyknapu2019.04.097
Title of the article Witness Withdrawal or Refusal of Expert or Translation from the Performance of Their Responsibilities as a Socially Dangerous Action (Article 385 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)
Author(s) TARAS VOITIUK
PhD student, Lesia Ukrainka East-European National University, Lutsk, Ukraine, vtr.vvl@gmail.com
Short title
of the journal (ISSN)		 Visn. Nac. akad. prokur. Ukr.
Year 2019
Issue 4
Pages [97–107]
Language Ukrainian
Abstract One of the preconditions for ensuring the effectiveness of criminal justice in Ukraine is to prevent cases of committing crimes against justice, since such encroachments disorganize the work of the entire judicial system at all stages of the process. One of the crimes against justice is the refusal of a witness to testify or the refusal of an expert or translator to perform their duties (Article 385 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (CC of Ukraine).
The purpose of the article – to characterize the particular problems of application in the case law of Art. 385 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. A number of tasks have been set to achieve this goal. The basic signs of refusal as a socially dangerous act are established, as well as the demarcation signs between the refusal and other forms of evasion of procedural obligation. The sentences issued under Art. 385 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Typical cases of qualification of a person’s actions as refusal of a witness to testify or refusal of an expert or translator to fulfill their duties, as well as errors in the qualification of a person’s actions under Art. 385 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
It is drawn the following conclusions. Significant signs of abandoning a legal obligation as a socially dangerous act are: refusal – active behavior of the subject (action), which is conscious and willful; open, categorical and demonstrative nature of refusal; simultaneous failure. Also the author describes difference between waiver of evasion and default. Courts that passed sentences under Art. 385 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, usually do not specify what exactly the refusal of the witness to testify was expressed. They call the following signs of refusal: categorical, explicit (or openly expressed form), bringing the refusal to the attention of the court, the absence of valid reasons that would interfere with the performance of this duty. It is these features that have been singled out for the general study of the concept of “failure”.
Keywords refusal; refusal to testify; witness; avoidance; delimitation; criminal liability.
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