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CRIMINAL-PROCEDURAL CODE

OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

NO. 174-FZ OF DECEMBER 18, 2001

(with the Amendments and Additions of May 29, July 24, 25, October 31, 2002, June 30, July 4, 7, December 8, 2003, April 22, June 29, December 2, 28, 2004, June 1, 2005)

This Code comes into force as of July 1, 2002, with the exception of the provisions, for which other dates and procedure for putting into operation are established by Federal Law No. 177-FZ of December 18, 2001

Passed by the State Duma on November 22, 2001

Approved by the Federation Council on December 5, 2001

Part One. General Provisions

Section I. Basic Provisions

Chapter 1. Criminal-Procedural Legislation

Article 1. Laws Defining the Procedure for Criminal Court Proceedings

1. The procedure for criminal court proceedings on the territory of the Russian Federation is established by the present Code, based on the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

2. The procedure for criminal court proceedings, established by this Code, is obligatory for courts, prosecutor's offices, preliminary investigation and inquiry bodies, as well as for other participants in the criminal court proceedings.

3. The generally recognized principles and norms of international law and international treaties of the Russian Federation make up a component part of the legislation of the Russian Federation regulating criminal legal proceedings. If an international treaty of the Russian Federation has laid down the rules different from those stipulated by the present Code, the rules of the international treaty shall be applied.

Article 2. Operation of the Criminal Procedural Law in Space

1. Proceedings on a criminal case on the territory of the Russian Federation, regardless of the place of committing the crime, shall be conducted in conformity with this Code, unless otherwise stipulated by an international treaty of the Russian Federation.

2. The norms of the present Code shall also be applied in the procedure on a criminal case for a crime committed on an air, sea or river vessel, flying the Flag of the Russian Federation, and outside the territory of the Russian Federation, if the said ship is registered in a port of the Russian Federation.

Article 3. Operation of the Criminal Procedural Law with Respect to Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons

1. Proceedings on the criminal cases, committed on the territory of the Russian Federation by foreign citizens or by stateless persons shall be conducted in conformity with the rules of the present Code.

2. Procedural actions stipulated by the present Code with respect to the persons enjoying diplomatic immunity, shall be conducted only at the request of the said persons or with their consent, which shall be inquired after through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Article 4. Operation of the Criminal-Procedural Law in Time

In proceedings conducted in a criminal case, there shall be applied criminal-procedural law, operating during the performance of the corresponding procedural action or during the adoption of a procedural decision, unless otherwise is established by the present Code.

Article 5. Principal Concepts Used in this Code

Unless otherwise specified, the principal concepts, used in the present Code, shall have the following meaning:

Chapter 2. Principles of the Criminal Court Proceedings

Article 6. Purpose of the Criminal Court Proceedings

1. The criminal court proceedings are aimed at:

2. The criminal prosecution and the administration of the just punishment to the guilty persons shall correspond to the purpose of the criminal court proceedings in the same measure as the refusal from the criminal prosecution of the non-guilty ones, their relief from the punishment and the rehabilitation of everyone, who has been groundlessly subjected to criminal prosecution.

Article 7. Legality in the Criminal Court Procedure

According to Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 13-P of June 29, 2004, recognized the first and the second parts of Article 7 of the present Code as not contradicting the Constitution of the Russian Federation, inasmuch as the provisions, contained in them - in accordance with their legal constitutional meaning in the system of the currently operating legal regulation - do not imply the resolution of possible collisions between the present Code and any other federal constitutional laws, and are spread only upon the cases, when the provisions of the other federal laws, directly regulating the order of the procedure on criminal cases, contradict the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation

1. The court, the prosecutor, the investigator, the body of inquiry and the inquirer shall have no right to apply a federal law contradicting the present Code.

2. The court having established the non-correspondence of a federal law or of another legal normative act to the present Code in the course of the criminal case shall take the decision in conformity with the present Code.

3. Violation of the norms of the present Code by the court, by the prosecutor, by the body of inquiry or by the inquirer in the course of the criminal court proceedings shall entail recognizing the proof obtained in this way as being inadmissible.

4. The rulings of the court, the resolutions of the judge, of the prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer shall be lawful, substantiated and motivated.

Article 8. Administration of Justice by the Court Alone

1. Justice on a criminal case in the Russian Federation shall be administered only by the court.

2. Nobody shall be recognized as guilty of committing a crime and subjected to a criminal punishment other than under the court sentence and in accordance with the procedure, established by the present Code.

3. The man on trial cannot be deprived of the right to the consideration of his criminal case in that court and by that judge, under whose jurisdiction it is referred by the present Code.

Article 9. Respect of the Person's Honour and Dignity

1. During the course of criminal court proceedings shall be prohibited the performance of actions and the adoption of decisions, degrading the honour of the participant in the criminal court proceedings, and treatment humiliating his human dignity or creating a threat to his life or health.

2. No one of the participants in criminal court proceedings shall be subjected to violence or torture or to other kinds of cruel or humiliating treatment, degrading his human dignity.

Article 10. Immunity of the Person

1. No one can be detained on the suspicion of committing a crime or put under arrest in the absence of the legal grounds for this, envisaged in the present Code. Pending the court decision, no one can be detained for a term of over 48 hours.

2. The court, the prosecutor, the body of inquiry and the inquirer are obliged to immediately relieve any person, who has been illegally detained or illegally deprived of freedom, or illegally placed into a medical or psychiatric stationary hospital, or has been held in custody over a time term in excess of that stipulated by the present Code.

3. The person, with respect to whom was selected the measure of restriction in the form of being taken into custody, as well as the person detained on suspicion of committing a crime, shall be maintained under conditions precluding a threat to his life and health.

Article 11. Protection of the Rights and Freedoms of Man and Citizen in Criminal Court Proceedings

1. The court, the prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer are obliged to explain to the suspect, the accused, the victim, the civil claimant and the civil defendant, as well as to the other participants in the criminal court proceedings their rights, responsibilities and liability, and to guarantee the possibility of exercising these rights.

2. If persons possessing witness immunity consent to give evidence, the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor and the court shall be obliged to warn the said persons that their testimony may be used as the proof in the course of the further proceedings in criminal case.

3. If there is sufficient data, testifying to the fact that the victim, the witness or other participants in the criminal court proceedings, as well as their close relatives, relations or their near persons are threatened with murder, violence, destruction or damage of their property, or with other dangerous illegal acts, the court, the prosecutor, the investigator, the body of inquiry and the inquirer shall take within the scope of their competence with respect to the said persons measures of security, stipulated by the ninth part of Article 166, by the second part of Article 186, by the eighth part of Article 193, by Item 4 of the second part of Article 241 and by the fifth part of Article 278 of the present Code.

4. The damage inflicted upon the person as a result of a violation of his rights and freedoms by the court or by the officials conducting the criminal prosecution, shall be subject to recompense on the grounds and in accordance with the procedure, established by the present Code.

Article 12. Inviolability of Living Quarters

1. An examination of the living quarters shall be carried out only with the consent of the persons residing in them, or on the grounds of a court decision, with the exception of cases, stipulated in the fifth part of Article 165 of the present Code.

2. The search and the seizure in the living quarters may be performed on the ground of a court decision, with the exception of cases, envisaged in the fifth part of Article 165 of this Code.

Article 13. Privacy of Correspondence, Telephone and Other Talks, of Postal, Telegraph and Other Communications

1. Restriction of the citizen's right to privacy of correspondence, of the telephone and other talks, of postal, telegraph and other communications shall be admissible only on the ground of a court decision.

2. Putting under arrest postal and telegraph messages and their seizure at post offices, the monitoring and recording of the telephone and other talks, may be carried out only on the grounds of a court decision.

Article 14. Presumption of Innocence

1. The accused shall be regarded as non-guilty until his being guilty of committing the crime is proved in accordance with the procedure, stipulated by the present Code, and is established by court sentence, which has entered into legal force.

2. The suspect or the accused is not obliged to prove his innocence. The burden of proving the charge and of refuting the arguments cited in defence of the suspect or of the accused, shall lie with the party of the prosecution.

3. All doubts concerning the guilt of the accused, which cannot be eliminated in accordance with the procedure established by the present Code, shall be interpreted in favour of the accused.

4. The verdict of guilty cannot be based on suppositions.

Article 15. Parties' Adversarial Nature

1. The criminal court procedure shall be conducted on the basis of the adversarial nature of the parties.

According to Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 13-P of June 29, 2004, recognized the second part of Article 15 of the present Code as not contradicting the Constitution of the Russian Federation, since in accordance with their legal constitutional meaning in the system of norms of the criminal procedural legislation the provisions, contained in it, as not presupposing a restriction of the operation of the constitutional principle of competitiveness, do not relieve the official persons of the state bodies, who are participants in a criminal court procedure on the side of the prosecution, from the discharge of the constitutional duty, involved in protecting the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, including from an illegal and an unsubstantiated accusation, conviction or another restriction of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen in the investigation of crimes and in the criminal court proceedings on criminal cases

2. The functions of the accusation, of the defence and of the resolution of a criminal case are set apart from one another and cannot be imposed upon one and the same body or upon one and the same person.

3. The court shall not be seen as a body of criminal prosecution, it shall not come out either on the side of the prosecution or on the side of the defence. The court shall create the necessary conditions for the parties to discharge their procedural duties and to exercise the rights, granted to them.

4. The parties of the prosecution and of the defence shall enjoy equal rights before the court.

Article 16. Guaranteeing the Right to the Defence for the Suspect and for the Accused

1. For the suspect and for the accused shall be guaranteed the right to defence, which they may exercise themselves or with the assistance of a counsel for the defence and/or of their legal representative.

2. The court, the prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer shall explain to the suspect and to the accused their rights, and shall guarantee to them the possibility to defend themselves while resorting to all ways and means, not prohibited by the present Code.

3. In the cases stipulated by the present Code, obligatory participation of a counsel for the defence and/or of the legal representative of the suspect and of the accused shall be provided for by the officials, conducting the proceedings on the criminal case.

4. In cases stipulated by the present Code and by other federal laws, the suspect and the accused may make use of the advice of a counsel for the defence free of charge.

Article 17. Freedom in the Assessment of Proof

1. The judge, the jurors, as well as the prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer, shall assess the proof in accordance with their inner conviction, based on the aggregate of the proof presented in the given criminal case, and shall rely in doing this on the law and on their conscience.

2. No proof shall be regarded as possessing force established in advance.

Article 18. Language of the Criminal Court Proceedings

1. The criminal court proceedings shall be conducted in the Russian language, as well as in the state languages of the Republics - the members of the Russian Federation. The proceedings on criminal cases in the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and military courts shall be conducted in the Russian language.

2. To participants in criminal court proceedings who have no command or just a poor command of the language in which the proceedings on the criminal case are conducted, shall be explained and guaranteed the right to make statements, to give explanations and testimony, to lodge petitions and complaints, to get acquainted with the materials of the criminal case and to take the floor in the court using their native tongue or another language, of which they have a good command, and to make use free of charge of interpreter's services in accordance with the procedure, established by the present Code.

3. If, in conformity with the present Code, the investigation and the trial documents are subject to obligatory presentation to the suspect and to the accused, as well as to the other participants in the criminal court proceedings, said documents shall be translated into the native tongue of the corresponding participant in the criminal court proceedings or into the language of which he has a good command.

Article 19. Right to File Appeals Against Procedural Actions and Decisions

1. The actions (the lack of action) and decisions of the court, of the prosecutor, of the investigator, of the body of inquiry and of the inquirer may be appealed against in accordance with the procedure, established by the present Code.

2. Every one convict shall have the right to the revision of the sentence by a higher placed court in accordance with the procedure, established by Chapters 43-45, 48 and 49 of the present Code.

Chapter 3. Criminal Prosecution

Article 20. Kinds of the Criminal Prosecution

1. Depending on the character and on the gravity of the committed crime, the criminal prosecution, including the charge at the trial, shall be carried out in public, private-public or private procedure.

2. Criminal cases on crimes envisaged by Articles 115 and 116, by the first part of Article 129 and by Article 130 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, are seen as criminal cases of private prosecution, are initiated only upon application from the victim or from his legal representative, and are subject to termination in connection with the reconciliation of the victim with the accused. Reconciliation is seen as admissible until the court departs to the retiring room for passing the sentence.

3. Criminal cases on crimes, envisaged in the first part of Article 131, the first part of Article 132, the first part of Article 136, the first part of Article 137, the first part of Article 138, the first part of Article 139, in Article 145, in the first part of Article 146 and in the first part of Article 147 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, are seen as criminal cases of the private-public prosecution and are initiated only upon application from the victim, but are not subject to the termination in connection with the victim's reconciliation with the accused, with the exception of the cases envisaged in Article 25 of the present Code.

4. The prosecutor, as well as the investigator or the inquirer with the consent of the prosecutor, have the right to institute a criminal case on any crime mentioned in the second and third parts of this Article also in the absence of an application from the victim, if the given crime has been perpetrated with respect to a person, who is in the state of dependence or who is incapable of exercising on his own the rights he possesses for any other reasons.

5. Criminal cases, with the exception of those mentioned in the second and third parts of the present Article, are seen as criminal cases of public prosecution.

Article 21. Liability of Conducting Criminal Prosecution

1. The criminal prosecution on behalf of the state on criminal cases of the public and of the private-public prosecution shall be conducted by the prosecutor, as well as by the investigator and by the inquirer.

2. In every case of revealing the signs of a crime, the prosecutor, the investigator, the body of inquiry and the inquirer shall be obliged to take measures, stipulated by the present Code, to establish the event of the crime and to expose the person or the persons, guilty of committing the crime.

3. In the cases envisaged by the fourth part of Article 20 of the present Code, the prosecutor shall be obliged to conduct the criminal prosecution on criminal cases regardless of the expression of the victim's will.

4. The demands, orders and inquiries of the prosecutor, of the investigator, of the body of inquiry or of the inquirer, presented within the scope of their powers established by the present Code, shall be obligatory for execution by all institutions, enterprises, organizations, officials and citizens.

Article 22. Victim's Right to Participate in the Criminal Prosecution

The victim, his legal representative and/or his representative shall have the right to take part in the criminal prosecution of the accused, and as concerns the criminal cases of the private prosecution - to put forward and to support the prosecution in accordance with the procedure established by the present Code.

Article 23. Involvement in the Criminal Prosecution upon Application of a Commercial or Other Organisation

If an act envisaged by Chapter 23 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation has inflicted damage upon the interests of an exclusively commercial or of another kind of organisation that is not a state or a municipal enterprise, while not inflicting a damage upon the interests of other organisations or upon the interests of the citizens, of the society or of the state, the criminal case shall be instituted upon application from the head of the given organization or with his consent.

Chapter 4. Grounds for Refusal of the Institution of a Criminal Case and for Termination of Criminal Case or Criminal Prosecution

Article 24. Grounds for Refusal to Institute a Criminal Case or to Terminate a Criminal Case

1. A criminal case cannot be instituted, and or instituted criminal case shall be subject to termination on the following grounds:

2. The criminal case shall be subject to termination on the ground, envisaged by Item 2 of the first part of this Article, if the criminality and punishability of the action in question have been eliminated by the new criminal law before the sentence came into legal force.

3. The termination of a criminal case shall entail simultaneous cessation of the criminal prosecution.

4. A criminal case shall be subject to termination in the event of terminating a criminal prosecution in respect of all suspects or accused persons, save for the instances provided for by Item 1 of Part One of Article 27 of this Code.

Article 25. Termination of a Criminal Case in Connection with the Parties' Reconciliation

The court, the prosecutor, as well as the investigator and the inquirer with the consent of the prosecutor, shall have the right to terminate the criminal case on the ground of an application, filed by the victim or by his legal representative, for the termination of the criminal case with respect to the person, suspected of or charged with committing a crime of a minor or of an ordinary gravity, in the cases specified in Article 76 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, if this person has reconciled with the victim and has recompensed the damage he has inflicted upon the latter.

Article 26. Abolished

Article 27. Grounds for Termination of the Criminal Prosecution

1. The criminal prosecution with respect to the suspect and to the accused shall be stopped on the following grounds:

2. The termination of the criminal prosecution on the grounds, indicated in Items 3 and 6 of the first part of Article 24, in Articles 25, and 28 of the present Code, as well as in Items 3, 6 and 7 of the first part of the present Article, shall be inadmissible, if the suspected or the accused objects to this. In this case, the proceedings on the criminal case shall be continued in the usual order.

3. The criminal prosecution with respect to a person who has not reached by the moment of committing the crime the age pointed out in the criminal law, from when the criminal liability sets in, shall be subject to termination shall be on the grounds, mentioned in Item 2 of the first part of Article 24 of the present Code. On the same grounds subject to termination the criminal prosecution with respect to a minor who, even though he has reached the age from when criminal liability sets in, could not have fully realized the actual character and the social danger of his actions (of his lack of action) and direct them at the moment of committing the act, envisaged by the criminal law, because of a retardment lagging behind in his psychological development, not connected with a mental disorder.

4. In the cases pointed out in the present Article, the criminal prosecution with respect to the suspect and to the accused may be stopped without the termination of the criminal case.

Article 28. Termination of the Criminal Prosecution in Connection with an Active Repentance

1. The court, prosecutor and also investigator and enquirer, upon the prosecutor's consent, shall be entitled to terminate a criminal prosecution in respect of a person suspected of or charged with having committed a crime of minor or medium degree, in the cases specified in Article 75 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

2. The termination of the criminal prosecution of a person in the criminal case on a crime of a different category on the grounds, mentioned in the first part of the present Article, shall be admissible only in the cases, specially stipulated by the relevant Articles of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

3. Before the termination of the criminal prosecution, to the person shall be explained the grounds for its termination in conformity with the first and the second parts of the present Article, as well as his right to object to the termination of the criminal prosecution.

4. The termination of the criminal prosecution on the grounds pointed out in the first part of the present Article, shall be inadmissible if the person with respect to whom the criminal prosecution is being terminated objects to this. In the given case, the proceedings on the criminal case shall be continued per the usual procedure.

Section II. Participants in the Criminal Court Proceedings

Chapter 5. The Court

Article 29. Legal Powers of the Court

1. The court alone shall have the legal power to:

In conformity with Federal Law No. 177-FZ of December 18, 2001, the second part of Article 29 of the present Code and the other criminal-procedural norms connected with it, concerning the handing over of the powers to the courts in the course of the pre-trial procedure on a criminal case, shall be put into operation as from January 1, 2004. Till January 1, 2004, decisions on these issues shall be taken by the prosecutor

2. The court alone, including in the course of the pre-trial procedure, shall have the legal power to take decisions on:

3. The court shall have the right to consider complaints against the actions (the lack of action) and against the decisions of the prosecutor, the investigator, the inquiry body and the inquirer in the cases and in accordance with the procedure, stipulated by Article 125 of the present Code, in the course of the pre-trial procedure.

4. If during the court examination of a criminal case are revealed the circumstances, which were conducive to the perpetration of the crime, to the violation of the citizens' rights and freedoms, or to the other law offences, committed in conducting the inquiry or the preliminary investigation, or when the case was examined by a lower-placed court, the court shall have the right to issue an intermediate ruling or judgement, in which the attention of the corresponding organizations and officials shall be drawn to the given circumstances and facts of the law offences, demanding that the necessary measures be taken. The court shall have the right to issue an intermediate ruling or judgement also in other cases if it finds this necessary.

Article 30. Composition of the Court

1. Criminal cases shall be considered by the court either collectively, or by the judge alone.

2. The court of the first instance shall consider criminal cases in the following composition:

3. Consideration of criminal cases on appeal shall be effected by a judge of the district court on his own.

4. Consideration of criminal cases on cassation shall be performed by a court in the composition of three judges of the federal court of general jurisdiction, and by way of supervision - by that in the composition of at least three judges of the federal court of general jurisdiction.

5. If a criminal case is considered by a court in the composition of three judges of the federal court of general jurisdiction, one of them shall act as chairman of the court session.

6. The criminal cases within the jurisdiction of a judge of the peace committed by the persons specified in Part 5 of Article 31 of the present Code shall be heard by the judges of garrison military courts all by themselves in the manner established by Chapter 41 of the present Code. In these cases the verdict and decision are subject to appeal in the form of cassation.

Article 31. Jurisdiction of Criminal Cases

Federal Law No. 54-FZ of June 1, 2005 amended part 1 of Article 31 of this Code

1. Placed under the jurisdiction of a justice of the peace shall be criminal cases for crimes the maximum punishment for the perpetration of which does not exceed three years of deprivation of freedom, with the exception of criminal cases for crimes envisaged by the first part of Article 107, by Articles 108, by the first and second parts of Article 109, 134 and 135, by the first part of Article 136, the first part of Article 146, the first part of Article 147, by Article 170, by the first part of Article 171, the first part of Article 171.1, 174 with the first part, 174.1 with the first part by Article 177, by the first part of Article 178, the first part of Article 183, by the first, third and fourth parts of Article 184, and 185, by the first part of Article 191, by Article 193, by the first part of Article 194, by Article 195, 198, by the first part of Article 199, by the first part of Article 199.1, the first part of Article 201, the first part of Article 202, the first and the third parts of Article 204, by Article 207, by the third part of Article 212, the first part of Article 215, the first part of Article 215.1, the first part of Article 216, the first part of Article 217, the first part of Article 219, the first part of Article 220, the first part of Article 225, by the first part of Article 228, 228.2, the first and the fourth parts of Article 234, the first part of Article 235, the first part of Article 236, the first part of Article 237, the first part of Article 238, by Article 239, by the second part of Article 244, the first part of Article 247, the first part of Article 248, by Article 249, by the first and the second parts of Article 250, the first and the second parts of Article 251, the first and the second parts of Article 252, by Article 253, by the first and the second parts of Article 254, by Article 255, by the third part of Article 256, by Article 257, by the second part of Article 258, by Articles 259 and 262, by the first part of Article 263, the first part of Article 264, by the first part of Article 266, the first part of Article 269, by Articles 270 and 271, by the first part of Article 272, the first part of Article 273, the first part of Article 274, 282 with the first part, 285.1 with the first part, 285.2 with the first part, by the first part of Article 287, by Articles 288 and 289, by the first part of Article 291, by Article 292, by the first part of Article 293, the first and the second parts of Article 294, the first and the second parts of Article 296, by Article 297, by the first and the second parts ofArticle 298, the first part of Article 301, the first part of Article 302, the first and the second parts of Article 303, the first part of Article 306, the first part of Article 307, the first and the second parts of Article 309, the first part of Article 311, by Article 316, the first part of Article 322, the first part of Article 323, paragraph one of Article 327, the first part of Article 327.1 and by Article 328 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

2. Subject to the jurisdiction of the district court shall be cases for all crimes with the exception of the criminal cases pointed out in the first (in as much as it concerns criminal cases being in the jurisdiction of the judge of the peace), third and fourth parts of the present Article.

3. Subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of a Republic, of territorial or regional court of a court of a city of federal importance, of the court of a autonomous region or court of an autonomous area shall be:

4. Subject to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation shall be the criminal cases, pointed out in Article 452 of the present Code, as well as the other criminal cases, referred under its jurisdiction by the federal constitutional law and by the federal law.

5. The garrison military court shall consider criminal cases on all crimes, committed by the servicemen and by the citizens undergoing the periodical military training, with the exception of the criminal cases, referred to the jurisdiction of the higher placed military courts.

6. Subject to the district (naval) military court shall be the criminal cases, pointed out in the third part of the present Article, concerning the servicemen and the citizens undergoing the periodical military training.

7. If the criminal case, instituted against a group of persons, is referred to the jurisdiction of the military court with respect to only a single one of these persons, the given criminal case may be examined by the military court, unless the person in question, or the persons who are not servicemen or citizens undergoing the periodical military training, object to this. If there are objections on the part of the above-mentioned persons, the criminal case against them shall be set apart into a separate procedure and shall be considered by the corresponding court of general jurisdiction. If it is impossible to single out this criminal case into a separate procedure, the given criminal case against all the involved persons shall be considered by the corresponding court of general jurisdiction.

8. Subject to the jurisdiction of the military courts stationed outside the territory of the Russian Federation shall be criminal cases on crimes committed by servicemen while doing their military duty in the composition of the Russian troops, by their family members or by other citizens of the Russian Federation, if:

9. The district court and the military court of the corresponding level shall adopt in the course of the pre-trial procedure on the criminal case the decisions, mentioned in the second and in the third parts of Article 29 of the present Code.

10. The jurisdiction of a civil claim stemming from the criminal case, shall be determined by the jurisdiction of the criminal case, in which it is filed.

Article 32. Territorial Jurisdiction of a Criminal Case

1. A criminal case shall be subject to consideration in the court at the place of the perpetration of the crime, with the exception of the cases stipulated by Article 35 of the present Code.

2. If the crime was initiated at a place under the jurisdiction of one court and completed at a place to which is spread the jurisdiction of another court, the given criminal case shall be referred to the jurisdiction of the court at the place where the crime was completed.

3. If the crimes are committed at different places, the criminal case shall be considered by the court, whose jurisdiction is spread tothat place, where most of the crimes, investigated on the given criminal case, are committed or where the most serious of them is committed.

Article 33. Determination of the Jurisdiction in Combining Criminal Cases

1. If one person or a group of persons is accused of committing several crimes, the criminal cases on which are referred the jurisdiction of the courts of different levels, the criminal case on all the crimes shall be examined by the higher placed court.

2. Examination by the military courts of the criminal cases against the persons who are not servicemen, shall be inadmissible, with the exception of the cases, envisaged by the fifth-eighth parts of Article 31 of the present Code.

Article 34. Handing Over a Criminal Case in Accordance with the Jurisdiction

1. Having established when resolving the question about the appointment of the court session that the arrived criminal case is not within the jurisdiction of the given court, the judge shall pass a ruling on directing the given criminal case to where it belongs in accordance with the jurisdiction.

2. Having established that the case which has come to it is also within the jurisdiction of another court of the same level, the court shall have the right, with the accused person's consent, to leave the given criminal case within its own jurisdiction, but only if it has already started its examination in a court session.

3. If the criminal case is referred to the jurisdiction of a higher placed court or to the military court, it shall in all cases be subject to being handed over in accordance with the jurisdiction.

Article 35. Changing the Territorial Jurisdiction of a Criminal Case

1. The territorial jurisdiction of a criminal case may be changed:

2. The change of the territorial jurisdiction of a criminal case shall be admissible only before the start of the legal action.

3. The question of changing the territorial jurisdiction of a criminal case on the grounds pointed out in the first part of this Article, shall be resolved by the chairman of a superior court or by his deputy in accordance with the procedure established by Parts Three, Four and Six of Article 125 of this Code.

Article 36. Inadmissibility of Disputes Concerning Jurisdiction

The disputes concerning the jurisdiction between the courts shall be inadmissible. Any criminal case, handed over from one court to another in accordance with the procedure, established by Articles 34 and 35 of this Code, shall be taken over in an undisputable order for the proceedings of the court, to which it is passed over.

Chapter 6. Participants in the Criminal Court Proceedings on the Side of the Prosecution

Article 37. The Prosecutor

1. The prosecutor shall be seen as an official person, authorized within the scope of competence established by the present Code, to conduct on behalf of the state the criminal prosecution in the course of the criminal court proceedings, as well as to exert supervision over the procedural activity of the bodies of inquiry and of the bodies for the preliminary investigation.

2. In the course of the pre-trial procedure on the criminal case, the prosecutor shall be obliged:

3. Written directions of the prosecutor to the body of inquiry, to the inquirer and to the investigator, given in the order established by the present Code, shall be obligatory. Filing an appeal against the received directions with the higher placed prosecutor shall not suspend their execution, with the exception of the cases stipulated by the third part of Article 38 of the present Code.

4. In the course of the court proceedings on a criminal case, the prosecutor shall support the public prosecution, ensuring its legality and substantiation and in cases when the preliminary investigation has been completed in the form of an enquiry the prosecutor shall be entitled to instruct the enquirer or investigator who has performed the enquiry in this criminal case to act for prosecution in the name of the state in the courtroom.

5. The prosecutor shall have the right to refuse from conducting the criminal prosecution in accordance with the procedure and on the grounds, established by the present Code.

6. The powers of the prosecutor, stipulated by the present Article, shall be exercised by the prosecutors of the district and of the city, and by their deputies, as well as by the prosecutors equated to them, and also by the higher placed prosecutors.

Article 38. The Investigator

1. An investigator is an official person, authorized to conduct a preliminary investigation on a criminal case within the scope of competence, stipulated by the present Code.

2. The investigator is authorised to:

3. In the event of a disagreement with the actions (omission to act) or decisions of an prosecutor, the investigator shall have the right to present the criminal case to a superior prosecutor stating in writing his objections. Appealing against them with a prosecutor shall not suspend their execution, save for the instances of disagreement with the following prosecutor's decisions and orders:

4. In the cases envisaged by the third part of the present Article, the prosecutor shall cancel the direction of the lower-placed prosecutor or shall entrust conducting a preliminary investigation on the given criminal case to another prosecutor.

Article 39. Head of the Investigation Department

1. The head of the investigation department shall be authorized to:

2. The head of the investigation department shall have the right to initiate criminal proceedings in the order established by this Code, to take over a criminal case for conducting his own procedure and to carry out a preliminary investigation in full volume, while retaining in doing this the powers of the investigator and/or of the head of the investigative group stipulated, respectively, by Articles 38 and 163 of the present Code.

3. When exercising the powers stipulated by the present Article, the head of the investigation department shall have the right:

4. Directions of the head of the investigation department on a criminal case shall be issued in writing and shall be obligatory for execution for the investigator, but the latter may file an appeal against them with the prosecutor. Filing an appeal against the directions shall not serve to suspend their execution, with the exception of the cases when they concern the withdrawal of a criminal case and its handing over to another investigator, prosecution of a person as accused, qualification of the crime, the scope of charge the selection of a measure of restriction or the performance of investigative actions, which are admissible only under a court decision. In this case, the investigator shall have the right to provide the prosecutor with criminal case materials and his written objections to the directions of the head of the investigation department.

Article 40. The Body of Inquiry

1. Referred to the bodies of inquiry shall be:

2. Upon the bodies of inquiry shall be imposed:

3. Institution of a criminal case in accordance with the order, established by Article 146 of the present Code, and performance of urgent investigative actions shall also be imposed upon:

Article 41. The Inquirer

1. The powers of the body of inquiry, stipulated by Item 1 of the second part of Article 40 of this Code, shall be imposed upon the inquirer by the head of the body of inquiry or by his deputy.

2. Imposing the powers for conducting an inquiry upon a person, who has carried out or who is carrying out the operational-search measures on the given criminal case, shall be inadmissible.

3. The inquirer shall be authorized:

4. The directions of the prosecutor and of the head of the body of inquiry, issued in conformity with the present Code, shall be seen as obligatory for the inquirer. The inquirer shall in this case have the right to file an appeal against the directions of the head of the body of inquiry to the prosecutor and against the directions of the prosecutor - to the higher placed prosecutor. Filing an appeal against the given directions shall not be serve to suspend their execution.

Article 42. The Victim

1. Seen as the victim shall be a natural person, upon whom a physical, property or moral damage was inflicted by the crime, as well as a legal entity, if his property and business reputation were damaged by the crime. The decision on recognizing a person to be a victim shall be formalized by the resolution of the inquirer, investigator or prosecutor, or of the court.

2. The victim shall have the right:

3. To the victim shall be guaranteed the compensation for the property damage, inflicted by the crime, as well as for the outlays he has had to make in connection with his participation in the process of the preliminary investigation and of the trial, including the outlays on the representative, in conformity with the demands of Article 131 of the present Code.

4. On the victim's claim for the recompense of the moral damage, inflicted upon him, in the monetary expression, the amount of the recompense shall be determined by the court in the course of the court proceedings on the criminal case, or by way of the civil court proceedings.

5. The victim shall have no right:

6. If the victim does not respond to the summons without any serious reasons, he may be brought under coercion.

7. For the refusal to provide evidence and for furnishing a deliberately false evidence, the victim shall be held responsible in conformity with Articles 307 and 308 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. For divulging data of the preliminary investigation, the victim shall be liable in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

8. On the criminal cases on crimes which have entailed the death of a person, the rights of the victim, stipulated by the present Article, shall pass on to one of his close relatives.

9. If recognized as the victim is a legal entity, its rights shall be exercised by its representative.

10. Participation in the criminal case of the legal representative and of the representative of the victim shall not deprive him of the rights, stipulated by the present Article.

Article 43. The Private Prosecutor

1. Seen as the private prosecutor shall be the person, who has filed an application with the court on a criminal case of the private prosecution in accordance with the procedure established by Article 318 of the present Code, and who is backing up the prosecution in the court.

2. The private prosecutor shall be granted the rights, stipulated by the fourth, the fifth and the sixth parts of Article 246 of the present Code.

Article 44. The Civil Claimant

1. Seen as the civil claimant shall be a natural or a legal person, who (which) has filed a claim for the recompense of the property damage, if there are grounds to believe that this damage was inflicted upon him directly by the crime. The decision on recognizing a person to be the civil claimant shall be formalized by a court ruling or by the resolution of the judge, of the prosecutor, of the investigator or of the inquirer. The civil claimant may also file a civil claim for the material compensation of the moral damage.

2. A civil claim may be presented after the institution of criminal proceedings and up to the end of the investigation in court, when trying this criminal case by a court of the first instance. When making a civil claim, the civil claimant shall be exempted from paying state duty.

3. A civil claim for the protection of the interests of the under age, of the persons recognized as legally incapable or as restricted in their legal capacity in accordance with the procedure, established by the civil procedural legislation, as well as of the persons, who cannot defend their rights and lawful interests themselves because of some other reasons, may be lodged by their legal representatives or by the prosecutor, and a civil claim for the protection of the interests of the state - by the prosecutor.

4. The civil claimant shall have the right:

5. Renouncement of the civil claim may be declared by the civil claimant at any moment of the proceedings on the criminal case, but before the court departs to the retiring room for passing the sentence. The renouncement of the civil claim shall entail the termination of the proceedings on it.

6. The civil claimant shall have no right to divulge the data of the preliminary investigation, if he was warned to this effect in advance in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 161 of the present Code. The civil claimant shall bear responsibility for divulging the data of the preliminary investigation in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 45. Representatives of the Victim, of the Civil Claimant and of the Private Prosecutor

1. To come out in the capacity of representatives of a victim, of a civil claimant or a private prosecutor may be lawyers, while to come out as representatives of a civil claimant, which is a legal entity, can be the other persons, authorized to represent its interests in conformity with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. On the decision of the justice of the peace, admitted as the representative of the victim or of the civil claimant may also be one of the close relatives of the victim or of the civil claimant, or another person, for whose admittance the victim or the civil claimant has applied.

2. To protect the rights and the lawful interests of the victims, who are the minor or who are deprived of the possibility to defend their rights and lawful interests on their own because of their physical or psychological condition, into an obligatory participation in the criminal case shall be involved their legal representatives or representatives.

3. The legal representatives and the representatives of the victim, of the civil claimant and of the private prosecutor shall enjoy the same procedural rights as the persons they represent.

4. Personal participation in the criminal case of the victim, of the civil claimant or of the private prosecutor shall not deprive him of the right to have a representative on this criminal case.

Chapter 7. Participants in the Criminal Court Proceedings on the Side of the Defence

Article 46. The Suspect

1. Seen as the suspect shall be the person,

2. The suspect detained in the procedure established by Article 91 of this Code has to be interrogated within 24 hours, as of the time of his actual detention.

3. In the case, stipulated by Item 2 of the first part of the present Article, the investigator or the inquirer shall be obliged to notify to this effect the close relatives or the relations of the suspect in conformity with Article 96 of the present Code.

4. The suspect shall have the right:

Article 47. The Accused

1. Recognized as the accused shall be the person, with respect to whom:

2. The accused, on whose criminal case are appointed the court proceedings, is called the defendant. The accused, with respect to whom a verdict of guilty is passed, is called the convict. The accused, with respect to whom the verdict of not guilty is passed, shall be seen as having been acquitted.

3. The accused shall have the right to defend his rights and lawful interests and to have enough time, as well as an opportunity, to prepare for the defence.

4. The accused shall have the right:

5. Participation in the criminal case of the counsel for the defence or of the legal representative of the accused shall not serve as a ground for restricting any one right of the accused.

6. At the first interrogation of the accused, the prosecutor or the inquirer shall explain to him his rights, stipulated by the present Article. At the subsequent interrogations, to the accused shall be once again explained his rights, stipulated by Items 3, 4, 7 and 8 of the fourth part of the present Article, if the interrogation is conducted without the participation of the counsel for the defence.

Article 48. Legal Representatives of an Under age Suspect and Accused

In the criminal cases for crimes committed by the under age, their legal representatives shall be involved into an obligatory participation in the criminal case in accordance with the procedure established by Articles 426 and 428 of the present Code.

Article 49. The Counsel for the Defence

1. Seen as the counsel for the defence shall be the person, carrying out the defence of the rights and the interests of the suspects and of the accused in conformity with the procedure, established by the present Code, and rendering to them legal advice during the court proceedings on the criminal case.

2. Admitted to coming out as counsels for the defence shall be lawyers. Under the ruling or decision of the court, admitted in the capacity of the counsel for the defence may also be, alongside the lawyer, one of the close relatives of the accused, or another person for whose admittance the accused has applied. If the proceedings are carried out by a justice of the peace, the said person may also be admitted instead of the lawyer.

3. The counsel for the defence takes part in the criminal case:

4. A lawyer shall be admitted to the participation in a criminal case in the capacity of the counsel for the defence upon the presentation of the lawyer's identification card and of the warrant.

5. If the counsel for the defence participates in the court proceedings on a criminal case, in the materials of which is contained some information comprising a state secret, while having no corresponding access to the said information, he shall be obliged to give a written recognizance not to divulge it.

6. One and the same person cannot act as the counsel for the defence for two suspects or accused, if the interests of one of them contradict the interests of the other.

7. The lawyer shall have no right to refuse from the assumed defence of the suspect and of the accused.

Article 50. Invitation, Appointment and Replacement of the Counsel for the Defence, and the Remuneration of His Labour

1. The counsel for the defence shall be invited by the suspect or by the accused, by his legal representative, or by the other persons on the orders or with the consent of the suspect or of the accused. The suspect or the accused shall have the right to invite several counsels for the defence.

2. At the request of the suspect and of the accused, the participation of the counsel for the defence shall be provided for by the inquirer, by the investigator and by the prosecutor, or by the court.

3. If the invited counsel for the defence fails to appear in the course of five days from the day of entering an application for inviting

the counsel for the defence, the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor or the court shall have the right to suggest that the suspect or the accused shall invite another counsel for the defence, and if he refuses to do so, to take measures for an appointment of the counsel for the defence. If the counsel for the defence involved in the criminal case, cannot take part in the proceedings on the concrete procedural action in the course of five days, while the suspect or the accused does not invite another counsel for the defence and does not lodge a petition on an appointment of such, the inquirer or the investigator shall have the right to carry out the given procedural action without the participation of the counsel for the defence, with the exception of the cases stipulated by Items 2-7 of the first part of Article 51 of the present Code.

4. If in the course of 24 hours from the moment of detention of the suspect or of taking the suspect or the accused into custody the counsel for the defence, invited by him, is unable to come, the inquirer or the prosecutor shall take measures for an appointment of the counsel for the defence. If the suspect or the accused rejects the appointed counsel for the defence, the investigative actions with the participation of the suspect or of the accused can be carried out without the participation of the counsel for the defence, with the exception of the cases, stipulated by Items 2-7 of the first part of Article 51 of the present Code.

5. If the lawyer takes part in conducting the preliminary investigation or in the court proceedings in accordance with the appointment by the inquirer or by the investigator, or by the court, the outlays on the remuneration of his labour shall be compensated from the funds of the federal budget.

Article 51. Obligatory Participation of the Counsel for the Defence

1. Participation of the counsel for the defence in the criminal court proceedings shall be obligatory, if:

2. In the cases stipulated by Items 1-5 of the first part of the present Article, the participation of the counsel for the defence shall be provided for in the procedure, laid down by the third part of Article 49 of the present Code, and in the cases stipulated by Items 6 and 7 of the first part of the present Article - as from the moment of entering a petition for the consideration of the criminal case by the court with the participation of jurors, or a petition for the examination of the criminal case in accordance with the procedure, established by Chapter 40 of the present Code, if only by a single one of the accused.

3. If in the cases, stipulated by the first part of the present Article, the counsel for the defence is not invited by the suspect or by the accused himself, or by his legal representative, or by the other persons on the orders of or with the consent of the suspect or of the accused, the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor or the court shall provide for the participation of the counsel for the defence in the criminal court proceedings.

Article 52. Refusal from the Counsel for the Defence

1. The suspect or the accused shall have the right to refuse from the services of the counsel for the defence at any moment of the proceedings on the criminal case. Such refusal shall be admissible only at the initiative of the suspect or of the accused. Refusal to have a counsel for defence shall be made in writing. If a refusal to have a counsel for defence is announced during an investigative action, an annotation to this effect shall be entered in the minutes of such investigative action.

2. The waiver the counsel for the defence is not obligatory for the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor and for the court.

3. Refusal from the counsel for the defence shall not deprive the suspect or the accused of the right subsequently to apply for the admittance of the counsel for the defence to the participation in the proceedings on the criminal case. Admittance of the counsel for the defence shall not entail a repetition of the procedural actions, which have already been carried out by this moment.

Article 53. Powers of the Counsel for the Defence

1. Right from the moment of being admitted to the participation in the criminal case, the counsel for the defence shall have the right:

2. The defence council participating in the commission of an investigative action shall be entitled, within the framework of rendering legal aid to his/her defendant, to consult him briefly in the presence of the investigator, to pose questions to persons under interrogation by authority of the investigator, to make remarks in writing as to the correctness and completeness of entries made in the record of a given investigative action. The investigator may reject the defence counsel's questions but shall be obliged to enter rejected questions in the record.

3. The counsel for the defence shall have no right to divulge the data of the preliminary investigation about which he has learned in connection with the performance of the defence, if he was warned to this effect in advance in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 161 of the present Code. The counsel for the defence shall be held responsible for the divulgence of the data of the preliminary investigation in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of theRussian Federation.

Article 54. The Civil Defendant

1. Brought to criminal liability in the capacity of a civil defendant may be a natural or a legal person, who (which), in conformity with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, is held responsible for a damage caused by a crime. On bringing a natural or legal person to criminal responsibility, the inquirer, investigator, prosecutor or judge shall pass a resolution, and the court - a ruling.

2. The civil defendant shall have the right:

3. The civil defendant shall have no right:

Article 55. Representative of the Civil Defendant

1. Coming out as representatives of a civil defendant may be lawyers, and as representatives of a civil defendant who is a legal entity - also other persons, authorized to represent its interests in conformity with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. By the ruling of the court or by the resolution of the judge, the prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer, to coming out as a representative of the civil defendant may also be admitted one of the close relatives of the civil defendant or another person, for whose admittance the civil defendant has applied.

2. The representative of the civil defendant shall enjoy the same rights as the person he is representing.

3. The civil defendant's personal participation in the procedure on the criminal case shall not deprive him of the right to have a representative.

Chapter 8. Other Participants in the Criminal Court Proceedings

Article 56. The Witness

1. Seen as a witness shall be the person who may be aware of certain circumstances of importance to the investigation and to the resolution of a criminal case, and who is summoned for giving evidence;

2. The summons and the interrogation of witnesses shall be performed in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Articles 187-191 of the present Code.

3. Not subject to an interrogation as witnesses shall be:

4. A witness shall have the right:

5. The witness cannot be forcibly subjected to the court examination or to a personal examination, with the exception of the cases, stipulated by the first part of Article 179 of the present Code.

6. The witness shall have no right:

7. If he fails to appear upon summons without serious reasons, the witness may be brought along under coercion.

8. For giving a deliberately false evidence or for the refusal to give evidence, the witness shall be held responsible in accordance with 308 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

9. For the divulgence of the data of the preliminary investigation, the witness shall be held liable in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 57. The Expert

1. Seen as an expert shall be the person, possessing special knowledge and appointed, in accordance with the procedure established by the present Code, for carrying out the court examination and for issuing the conclusion.

2. The summons of an expert, the appointment and the performance of the court examination shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Articles 195-207, 269, 282 and 283 of the present Code.

3. The expert shall have the right:

4. The expert shall have no right:

5. The expert shall be held responsible for presenting a deliberately false conclusion in conformity with Article 307 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

6. The expert shall be held liable for the divulgence of data of the preliminary investigation in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 58. The Specialist

1. Seen as the specialist shall be the person possessing special knowledge and invited to take part in the procedural actions in the order, established by the present Code, for rendering assistance in the exposure, confirmation and seizure of objects and the documents, and in the application of technical devices in the study of the criminal case materials, for formulating questions to be put to the expert and also for an explanation to the parties and to the court of issues embraced by his professional competence.

2. The summons of a specialist and the procedure for his participation in the criminal court proceedings are defined in Articles 168 and 270 of the present Code.

3. The specialist shall have the right:

4. The specialist shall have no right to evade to appear when summoned by an inquirer, investigator, prosecutor or by the court, as well as to divulge data of the preliminary investigation, of which he has learned in connection with participation in the procedure on the criminal case as a specialist, if he was warned to this effect in advance in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Article 161 of the present Code. The specialist shall be held liable for the divulgence of the data of the preliminary investigation in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 59. The Interpreter

1. Seen as the interpreter shall be a person invited to take part in the criminal court proceedings in cases envisaged by the present Code, who has a perfect command of the language, the knowledge of which is indispensable for making the translation.

2. On the appointment of a person as an interpreter, the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor or the judge shall pass a resolution, and the court - a ruling. The summons of the interpreter and the procedure for his taking part in the criminal court proceedings are defined by Articles 169 and 263 of the present Code.

3. The interpreter shall have the right:

4. The interpreter shall have no right:

5. For a deliberately incorrect translation and for the divulgence of data of the preliminary investigation, the interpreter shall be held liable in conformity with Articles 307 and 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

6. The rules formulated in the given Article, shall also be spread to a person, who has mastered the skill of interpreting the language of the deaf-and-dumb and who has been invited to participate in the proceedings on the criminal case.

Article 60. An Attesting Witness

1. Seen as an attesting witness or the witness of an investigative action, shall be the person, not interested in the outcome of the criminal case, who is invited by the inquirer, the investigator or the prosecutor to certify the fact of an investigative action having been conducted, as well as the content, the process and the results of an investigative action.

2. Cannot be acting as attesting witnesses:

3. An attesting witness shall have the right:

4. An attesting witness shall have no right to evade to appear, when summoned by an inquirer, investigator, prosecutor or by a court, as well as to divulge the data of the preliminary investigation, if he was warned to this effect in advance in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Article 161 of the present Code. An attesting witness shall be liability for the divulgence of the data of the preliminary investigation in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Chapter 9. Circumstances, Precluding the Participation in Criminal Court Proceedings

Article 61. Circumstances, Precluding the Participation in Proceedings in a Criminal Case

1. The judge, prosecutor, investigator and the inquirer cannot take part in the proceedings in a criminal case, if he:

2. The persons, pointed out in the first part of the present Article, cannot take part in the proceedings on the criminal case also if there exist the other circumstances, giving a ground to believe that they are personally, whether directly or indirectly, interested in the outcome of the given criminal case.

Article 62. Inadmissibility of the Participation in the Proceedings in the Criminal Case of the Persons Subject to Recusation

1. If there are grounds for the recusation, envisaged by the present Chapter, the judge, prosecutor, investigator, inquirer, secretary of the court session, interpreter, expert, specialist, counsel for the defence, as well as the representatives of the victim, of the civil claimant or of the civil defendant shall be obliged to evade the participation in the proceedings in the criminal case.

2. If the persons, pointed out in the first part of the present Article, have not evaded the participation in the proceedings in the criminal case, the recusation against them may be entered by the suspect and the accused, by his legal representative or by his counsel for the defence, as well as by the public prosecutor, the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant or their representatives.

Article 63. Inadmissibility of the Judge's Repeated Participation in Consideration of a Criminal Case

1. The judge, who has taken part in the consideration of the criminal case in the first instance court, cannot take part in the examination of the given criminal case in the court of the second instance or by way of supervision, or to take part in the new consideration of the criminal case in the court of the first or second instance or by way of supervision, if the sentence or the ruling or the decision on the termination of the criminal case, passed with his participation, has been cancelled.

2. The judge, who has taken part in the examination of the criminal case in the court of the second instance, cannot participate in the consideration of this criminal case in the court of the first instance or by way of supervision, or in the new consideration of the same case in the court of the second instance after the cancellation of the sentence, of the ruling or of the decision, passed with his participation.

3. The judge, who has taken part in the examination of a criminal case by way of supervision, cannot take part in the examination of the same criminal case in the court of the first or of the second instance.

Article 64. Application of a Recusation Against the Judge

1. If there exist the circumstances, envisaged by Articles 61 and 63 of the present Code, against the judge may be filed a recusation by the participants in the criminal court proceedings.

2. A recusation against the judge shall be filed before the start of the judicial investigation, and if the criminal court is examining the criminal case with the participation of jurors - before the college of jurors is formed. In the course of the further court session, an application of the recusation shall be admissible only if the reason for it was not previously known to the party.

Article 65. Procedure for the Consideration of an Application of Recusation Against the Judge

1. The recusation, filed against the judge, shall be resolved by the court in the retiring room by passing a ruling or a resolution.

2. The recusation, filed against the judge, shall be resolved by the rest of the judges, if the criminal case is considered by the court collectively, in the absence of the judge, against whom the recusation is filed. The judge, against whom the recusation is filed, shall have the right to publicly make an explanation concerning the recusation filed against him, before the rest of the judges depart to the retiring room.

3. The recusation filed against several judges or the challenge to the constitution of the court as a whole shall be resolved by the same court in the full composition by way of the majority vote.

4. The recusation filed against the judge examining the criminal case on his own, or the petition of the application of the measure of restriction or of the performance of investigative actions, or the complaint against the resolution on the refusal to institute a criminal case or to terminate it, shall be resolved by the same judge.

5. If the application for the disqualification of the judge, of several judges or of the constitution of the court as a whole is satisfied, the criminal case, the application or the complaint shall be handed over for conducting the proceedings to another judge or to another composition of the court, respectively, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the present Code.

6. If simultaneously with the recusation against the judge, a recusation against any other participants in the proceedings on the criminal case is entered, the question about the disqualification of the judge shall be resolved first.

Article 66. Disqualification of the Prosecutor

1. The decision on the disqualification of the prosecutor in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on a criminal case shall be taken by a higher placed prosecutor, and in the course of the court proceedings - by the court, considering the criminal case.

2. The prosecutor's participation in the proceedings of a preliminary investigation, as well as his participation in the court proceedings, shall not be seen as an obstacle to the further participation of the prosecutor in the proceedings on the given criminal case.

Article 67. Recusation of the Investigator or of the Inquirer

1. A decision on the recusation of the investigator or of the inquirer shall be adopted by the prosecutor.

2. The previous participation of the investigator and of the inquirer in conducting a preliminary investigation on the given criminal case shall not be seen as a reason for his recusation.

Article 68. Recusation of the Secretary of the Court Session

1. A decision on the recusation of the secretary of the court session shall be adopted by the court, considering the criminal case, or by the judge, presiding over the court with the participation of jurors.

2. The person's previous participation in the proceedings on the criminal case in the capacity of the secretary of the court session shall not be seen as a reason for his recusation.

Article 69. Recusation of the Interpreter

1. A decision on the recusation of the interpreter in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on the criminal case shall be taken by the inquirer, the investigator or the prosecutor, or by the court in the cases, envisaged by Article 165 of the present Code. In the course of the court proceedings, said decision shall be adopted by the court, examining the given criminal case, or by the judge, presiding over the court with the participation of jurors.

2. If there exist the circumstances envisaged by Article 61 of the present Code, the recusation against the interpreter may be filed by the parties, and if the interpreter's lack of competence is exposed - also by the witness, by the expert or by the specialist.

3. The person's previously taking part in the proceedings on the criminal case in the capacity of an interpreter shall not be seen as a reason for his recusation.

Article 70. Recusation of the Expert

1. Decision on the recusation of the expert shall be passed in the order, established by the first part of Article 69 of the present Code.

2. The expert cannot take part in the proceedings on a criminal case, if:

Article 71. Recusation of the Specialist

1. Decision on the recusation of the specialist shall be adopted in the order, established by the first part of Article 69 of the present Code.

2. The specialist cannot take part in the proceedings on a criminal case, if there exist the circumstances, envisaged by the second part of Article 70 of the present Code. The person's previously taking part in the proceedings on the criminal case in the capacity of the specialist shall not be seen as a reason for his recusation.

Article 72. Circumstances, Precluding the Participation in the Proceedings on a Criminal Case of the Counsel for the Defence and of the Representative of the Victim, of the Civil Claimant or of the Civil Defendant

1. The counsel for the defence and the representative of the victim, of the civil claimant or of the civil defendant shall have no right to take part in the proceedings on a criminal case, if he:

2. Decision on the recusation of the counsel for the defence and of the representative of the victim, of the civil claimant or of the civil defendant shall be taken in accordance with the procedure, established by the first part of Article 69 of the present Code.

Section III. Proof and Proving

Chapter 10. Proof in the Criminal Court Proceedings

Article 73. Circumstances Subject to Proving

1. Subject to proving in the proceedings on a criminal case shall be:

2. The circumstances conducive to perpetration of the crime shall also be subject to exposure.

Article 74. Proof

1. Seen as the proof on the criminal case shall be all the information, on the ground of which the court, the prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer, in accordance with the procedure defined by the present Code, establish the existence or the absence of the circumstances, subject to proving in the course of the proceedings on the criminal case, as well as of the other circumstances of importance for the criminal case.

2. Admissible as the proof shall be:

Article 75. Inadmissible Proof

1. The proof, obtained with a violation of the demands of the present Code, shall be qualified as inadmissible. Inadmissible proof are deprived of legal force and cannot serve as a basis for the accusation or be used for proving any one of the circumstances, listed in Article 73 of the present Code.

2. Referred as inadmissible proof shall be:

Article 76. Evidence of the Suspect

Seen as the evidence of the suspect shall be the information he has provided at the interrogation, conducted in the course of the pre-trial proceedings in conformity with the demands of Articles 187-190 of the present Code.

Article 77. Evidence of the Accused

1. Seen as the evidence of the accused shall be the information he has supplied at an interrogation, conducted in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on the criminal case or in the court in conformity with the demands of Articles 173, 174, 187-190 and 275 of the present Code.

2. Admission by the accused of his guilt in committing the crime can serve as the foundation for the charge only if his guilt is confirmed by the aggregate of the proof, existing on the criminal case.

Article 78. Evidence of the Victim

1. Seen as evidence of the victim shall be the information he has supplied at an interrogation, conducted in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on the criminal case or in court in conformity with the demands of Articles 187-191 and 277 of the present Code.

2. The victim may be interrogated about any kind of circumstances subject to being proved during the proceedings on the criminal case, including about his relationships with the suspect or with the accused.

Article 79. Evidence of the Witness

1. Seen as the evidence of the witness shall be the information he has supplied at an interrogation, conducted in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on the criminal case or in the court in conformity with the demands of Articles 187-191 and 278 of the present Code.

2. The witness may be interrogated about any kind of the circumstances that have a bearing on the criminal case, including about the personality of the accused and of the victim, as well as about his relationships with them and other witnesses.

Article 80. Conclusion and Evidence of the Expert and Specialist

1. Seen as the conclusion of the expert shall be the content of his investigation and his conclusions on the questions put to him by the person, conducting the proceedings on the criminal case, or by the parties, presented by him in writing.

2. Seen as the evidence of the expert shall be the information he has supplied at an interrogation, carried out after receiving his conclusion, for the clarification or the specification of the given conclusion in conformity with the demands of Articles 205 and 282 of the present Code.

3. The conclusion of a specialist - a written opinion in respect of the questions posed to specialists by the parties.

4. The evidence of a specialist - data imparted by him/her during an interrogation on circumstances which require special knowledge, as well as the clarification of his/her opinion in compliance with the requirements of Article 53, 168 and 271 of this Code.

Article 81. Demonstrative Proof

1. Recognized as demonstrative proof shall be any objects:

2. The objects mentioned in the first part of the present Article, shall be examined, identified as demonstrative proof and enclosed to the criminal case, on which the corresponding resolution shall be passed. The procedure for the storage of demonstrative proof is established by the present Article and by Article 82 of this Code.

3. When passing the sentence, as well as the ruling or the resolution on the termination of the criminal case, the issue of demonstrative proof shall also be resolved. In doing this:

4. Objects seized in the course of the pre-trial proceedings but not recognized as demonstrative proof, shall be returned to the persons, from whom they were seized.

Article 82. Storage of Demonstrative Proof

1. Demonstrative proof shall be kept in the criminal case file till the sentence comes into legal force or till an expiry of the term, fixed for lodging an appeal against the resolution or the ruling on the termination of the criminal case, and shall be handed over together with the criminal case, with the exception of the cases, stipulated by the present Article. If the dispute on the right to the property, which is a demonstrative proof, is subject to resolution by the civil court proceedings, the demonstrative proof shall be kept until the court sentence comes into force.

2. Demonstrative proof in the form of:

3. The other terms for keeping, recording and handing over separate categories of demonstrative proof shall be established by the Government of the Russian Federation.

4. In the cases, stipulated by Subitems b) and c) of Item 1 and by Subitem a) of Item 2 of the second part of the present Article, the inquirer, investigator, prosecutor or judge shall pass a resolution.

5. If the criminal case is handed over by the body of inquiry to the investigator, or from one body of inquiry to another, or from one investigator to another, and also if the criminal case is directed to the prosecutor or to the court, or if the criminal case is handed over from one court to another, the demonstrative proof shall be handed over together with the criminal case, with the exception of the cases mentioned in the present Article.

Article 83. Reports on the Investigative Actions and Protocols of the Court Session

The reports on the investigative actions and the protocols of the court sessions shall be seen as admissible as proof, if they satisfy the demands, established by the present Code.

Article 84. Other Documents

1. Other documents shall be admitted as proof if the information supplied in them is of importance for the establishment of the circumstances, pointed out in Article 73 of the present Code.

2. The documents may contain information, reflected both in writing and in another form. Here may belong the materials of photography and cinema shooting, the audio and video recordings and the other carriers of information, obtained, demanded or presented in the order established by Article 86 of the present Code.

3. The documents shall be enclosed to the criminal case materials and shall be kept over the entire term of its storage. Upon the application of their lawful owner, the documents, seized and enclosed to the criminal case, or their copies may be handed over to him.

4. The documents, bearing the signs, mentioned in the first part of Article 81 of the present Code, shall be recognized as demonstrative proof.

Chapter 11. Proving

Article 85. Proving

The proving shall consist of the collection, verification and estimation of proof for the purpose of establishing the circumstances, envisaged in Article 73 of the present Code.

Article 86. Collection of Proof

1. Proof shall be collected in the course of the criminal court proceedings by the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor and the court through the performance of the investigative and of the other procedural actions, stipulated by the present Code.

2. The suspect or the accused, as well as the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant and their representatives shall have the right to collect and submit the written documents and the objects for enclosing them to the criminal case as proof.

3. The counsel for the defence shall have the right to collect proof by way of:

Article 87. Checking the Proof

The proof shall be checked by the inquirer, by the investigator, by the prosecutor and by the court by comparing them with the other proof kept in the criminal case, as well as by establishing their sources and by obtaining other proof, confirming or repudiating the proof under the check-up.

Article 88. Rules for the Assessment of Proof

1. Every proof shall be assessed from the point of view of its referability, admissibility and authenticity, and all collected proof in the aggregate - of their sufficiency for the resolution of the criminal case.

2. In the cases, mentioned in the second part of Article 75 of the present Code, the court, the prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer shall recognize the proof as inadmissible.

3. The prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer shall have the right to recognize a proof to be inadmissible upon the application from the suspect or the accused, or at their own initiative. The proof recognized as inadmissible shall not be included into the conclusion of guilt or into the bill of indictment.

4. The court shall have the right to recognize a proof as inadmissible upon the parties' application or at its own initiative in accordance with the procedure, established by Articles 234 and 235 of the present Code.

Article 89. Using Results of the Operational-Search Activity in Proving

It shall be prohibited in the course of proving to make use of the results of the operational-search activity, if they do not satisfy the demands, made on the proof by the present Code.

Article 90. Prejudice

The circumstances, established by the sentence which has come into legal force, shall be recognized by the court, by the prosecutor, by the investigator and by the inquirer without an additional verification, unless these circumstances raise the court's doubts. Such sentence, however, cannot prejudge the guilt of the persons, who have not taken part in the criminal case under consideration earlier.

Section IV. Measures of Procedural Coercion

Chapter 12. Detention of the Suspect

Article 91. Grounds for the Detention of the Suspect

1. The body of inquiry (inquest), the inquirer, the investigator or the prosecutor shall have the right to detain the person on suspicion of committing a crime, for which may be administered the punishment in the form of the deprivation of freedom, if one of the following grounds exists:

2. If there exist other data, providing grounds for suspecting the person of the perpetration of the crime, he may be detained if he has made an attempt to flee, or if he does not have a permanent place of residence, or if his person has not been identified, or if the public prosecutor, or the investigator or the inquirer with the consent of the prosecutor, has directed a petition to the court on selecting with respect to the said person a measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody.

Article 92. Procedure for the Detention of the Suspect

1. After the suspect is brought to the body of inquiry, to the investigator or to the public prosecutor, a custody report shall be compiled within a term of not over three hours, in which shall be made a note that the rights, stipulated by Article 46 of the present Code, have been explained to the suspect.

2. In the report shall be pointed out the date and time of compiling it, the date, time and the place of, and the grounds and the motives for the detention, the results of his personal search and other circumstances of his detention. The custody report shall be signed by the person who has compiled it and by the suspect.

3. The body of inquiry, the inquirer or the investigator shall be obliged to report to the public prosecutor about the detention in writing within twelve hours from the moment of detaining the suspect.

4. The suspect shall be interrogated in conformity with the demands of the second part of Article 46 and of Articles 189 and 190 of the present Code. Before the interrogation starts the suspect at his request shall be provided with an opportunity to meet his defence counsel in private and confidentially. Where it is necessary to commit procedural actions with the participation of the suspect, the duration of a meeting exceeding two hours may be limited by the inquirer, investigator and prosecutor with obligatory preliminary notification of the suspect and his/her defence counsel on it. In any case the duration of the meeting may not be less than 2 hours.

Article 93. Personal Search of the Suspect

The suspect may be subjected to a personal search in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 184 of the present Code.

Article 94. Grounds for the Release of the Suspect

1. The suspect shall be released by the decision of the inquirer, of the investigator or of the public prosecutor, if:

2. After an expiry of 48 hours from the moment of detention, the suspect shall be released, unless with respect to him is selected a measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody or the court has extended the term of detention in the order, established by Item 3 of the part 7 of Article 108 of the present Code.

3. If the resolution of the judge on the application towards the suspect of the measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody or on an extension of the term of detention does not arrive within 48 hours as from the moment of detention, the suspect shall be immediately set free, about which the head of the place where the suspect was held in custody shall notify the body of inquiry or the investigator, under whose jurisdiction the criminal case is placed, and the public prosecutor.

4. If there exists a ruling or a resolution of the court on the refusal to satisfy the petition of the inquirer, of the investigator or of the public prosecutor for selecting towards the suspect the measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody, a copy of this ruling or resolution shall be handed over to the suspect upon his release.

5. Upon the release of the suspect from custody he shall be issued a reference note, in which it shall be pointed out by whom he was detained, the date, time and the place of, and the grounds for the detention, as well as the date, time of and the grounds for his release.

Article 95. Procedure for Holding the Suspects in Custody

1. The procedure and the conditions for holding the suspects in custody shall be defined by the federal law.

2. If it is necessary to carry out operational-search measures, admissible shall be meetings an officer of the body of inquiry which is carrying out the operational-search activity, with the suspect with the written permission of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or of the court, under whose jurisdiction the criminal case is placed.

Article 96. Notification on Detaining the Suspect

1. The inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall be obliged, not later than in twelve hours from the moment of detaining the suspect, to notify one of his close relatives, and if there are no such relatives - the other relations, or shall provide an opportunity for making such notification to the suspect himself.

2. In case of the detention of the suspect who is a serviceman, the command of the military unit shall be informed.

3. If the suspect is a citizen or a subject of another state, the Embassy or the Consulate of this state shall be notified within the term, pointed out in the first part of the present Article.

4. If in the interests of the investigation it is necessary to keep the fact of the detention in secret, the notification with the public prosecutor's sanction may be withheld, with the exception of the cases when the suspect is a minor.

Chapter 13. Measures of Restriction

Federal Law No. 18-FZ of April 22, 2004 amended Article 97 of this Code

Article 97. Grounds for Selecting a Measure of Restriction

1. The inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor, or the court shall have the right, within the scope of powers granted to them, to select towards the accused one of the measures of restriction envisaged by the present Code, if there are sufficient grounds to believe that the accused, suspected:

2. A measure of restriction may also be selected to ensure the execution of the sentence.

Article 98. Measures of Restriction

Seen as the measures of restriction (restraint) shall be:

Federal Law No. 18-FZ of April 22, 2004 reworded Article 99 of this Code

Article 99. The Circumstances Taken into Account when a Measure of Restraint Is Selected

When the issue is being considered as to the need for selecting a measure of restraint in respect of a person suspected or accused of having committed a crime and determining the type thereof when the grounds envisaged by Article 97 of the present Code exist account shall be in particular taken of the degree of gravity of the crime, information on the suspect's or accused's personality, his/her age, condition of health, marital status, occupation and other circumstances.

Federal Law No. 18-FZ of April 22, 2004 amended Article 100 of this Code

Article 100. Selecting a Measure of Restriction Towards the Suspect

1. In the exceptional cases, if there exist the grounds mentioned in Article 97 of the present Code, and taking into account the circumstances pointed out in Article 99 of the present Code, a measure of restriction may be taken towards the suspect. The charge shall be brought against the suspect no later than ten days as from the moment of application of the measure of restriction, and if the suspect was first detained and then taken into custody - within the same term as from the moment of detention. If the charge is not brought within this term, the measure of restriction shall be immediately cancelled.

2. Accusation of having committed at least one of the crimes envisaged by Articles 205, 205.1, 206, 208, 209, 277, 278, 279, 281 and 360 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation shall be presented to the suspect for which a measure of restraint has been chosen, within 30 days after the imposition of the measure of restraint or if the suspect has been detained and then put in custody, within the same term after the time when he/she was detained. If no charge has been made within this term, the measure of restraint shall be immediately lifted.

Article 101. Resolution and Ruling on the Selection of a Measure of Restriction

1. On the selection of a measure of restriction the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor or the judge shall pass a resolution, and the court - a ruling, containing an indication of the crime of which the person is either suspected or accused, and the grounds for selecting this measure of restriction.

2. A copy of the resolution or of the ruling shall be handed over to the person, with respect to whom it has been passed, as well as to his counsel for the defence or to his legal representative upon their request.

3. Simultaneously, to the person, towards whom a measure of restraint is selected, shall be explained the procedure for filing an appeal against the selection of the measure of restriction, established by Articles 123-127 of the present Code.

Article 102. Recognizance Not to Leave

The recognizance not to leave and to behave in the proper way consists in assuming in writing an obligation of the suspect or of the accused:

Article 103. Personal Guarantee

1. A personal guarantee consists in a written reference of a person worthy of confidence that he guarantees the fulfillment of the obligations, envisaged by Items 2) and 3) of Article 102 of the present Code, by the suspect or by the accused.

2. Selection of the personal guarantee as a measure of restraint shall be admissible upon the written application from one or from several sureties with the consent of the person, with respect to whom the guarantee is given.

3. The guarantor shall be explained the substance of the suspicion or of the accusation, as well as the liabilities and the responsibility of the surety, involved in the fulfillment of the personal guarantee.

4. If the surety fails to fulfil his liabilities, a monetary punishment may be levied upon him in an amount of up to a hundred minimum sizes of the remuneration of labour, in accordance with the procedure established by Article 118 of the present Code.

Article 104. Surveillance by the Command of a Military Unit

1. Surveillance by the command of a military unit over the suspect or the accused, who is a serviceman or a civilian undergoing periodical military training, shall amount to taking measures, stipulated by the Regulations of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in order to guarantee the fulfillment by this person of the liabilities stipulated by Items 2 and 3 of Article 102 of the present Code.

2. Selection of the surveillance by the command of a military unit as a measure of restriction shall be admissible only with the consent of the suspect or the accused.

3. A resolution on the selection of the measure of restriction, stipulated by the first part of this Article, shall be forwarded to the command of the military unit, in which shall be explained the substance of the suspicion or the accusation and its liabilities involved in the execution of the given measure of restriction.

4. If the suspect or the accused commits actions, for the prevention of which the given measure of restriction was selected, the command of the military unit shall immediately report this to the body which has selected the given measure of restriction.

Article 105. Supervision of Minor Suspect or Accused

1. Supervision of minor suspect or accused consists in guaranteeing his proper behavior, stipulated by Article 102 of the present Code, by his parents, guardians, trustees or by the other persons, worthy of confidence, as well as by the official persons of the specialized children's institution where he is maintained; these persons shall give a written obligation to this effect.

2. If the given measure of restriction is selected, the inquirer, the investigator, the prosecutor or the court shall explain to the persons, pointed out in the first part of this Article, the substance of the suspicion or the accusation, as well as their responsibility, involved in the liabilities of supervision.

3. If the persons to whom a minor suspect or accused was entrusted for supervision, fails to fulfil the assumed liability, towards them may be applied measures of punishment, stipulated by the fourth part of Article 103 of the present Code,

Article 106. Bail

1. Bail shall consist of an entry by the suspect or the accused, or by another natural or legal person onto the deposit account of the body which has selected the given measure of restriction, of the securities or valuables in order to guarantee the appearance of the suspect or the accused before the investigator or the public prosecutor, or before the court, and to prevent him from committing new offences. The kind and the size of the bail shall be determined by the body or by the person, which (who) has selected the given form of restriction, with an account for the character of the committed crime, for the data on the personality of the suspect or the accused, and for the property position of the bail giver.

2. The bail as a measure of restriction may be selected by the court, by the public prosecutor and by the investigator, inquirer with the consent of the public prosecutor at any moment of the proceedings on the criminal case. If giving a bail is applied instead of the earlier selected measures of restriction in the form of taking into custody or of the home arrest, the suspect or the accused shall stay in custody or under the home arrest until the bail fixed by the body or by the person, which (who) has selected this measure of restriction, is entered onto the deposit account of the court. On the acceptance of the bail shall be compiled a protocol, a copy of which shall be handed over to the bail giver.

3. If the bail is entered into by the person who is not the suspect or the accused, to him shall be explained the substance of the suspicion or the accusation, in connection with which the given measure of restriction is selected, as well as the liabilities involved with it and the consequences of the failure to fulfil them or of violating them.

4. If the suspect or the accused fail to fulfil or violate the liabilities, connected with the bail entered for him, the bail shall be turned into the revenue of the state in accordance with the court decision to be passed in conformity with Article 118 of the present Code.

5. In all other cases, the court shall resolve the question about returning the bail to the bail giver when passing the sentence, as well as the ruling or the resolution on the termination of the criminal case. If the criminal case is terminated by the public prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer, the bail shall be returned to the bail giver, which shall be pointed out in the resolution on the termination of the criminal case.

Article 107. Home Arrest

1. The home arrest shall consist of restrictions imposed upon the freedom of movement of the suspect or of the accused, as well as in prohibition:

2. The home arrest as a measure of restriction shall be used for a suspect or the accused by a court decision, if there exist grounds, in the order established by Article 108 of the present Code, with an account for his age, state of health, family status and other circumstances.

3. In the resolution or the ruling of the court on the selection of the home arrest as a measure of restraint shall be pointed out the concrete restrictions, to which the suspect or the accused is subjected; the body or the official person, to which (to whom) is entrusted the supervision over the observation of the administered restrictions, shall also be named.

Article 108. Taking into Custody

1. Taking into custody as a measure of restriction shall be applied through a court decision towards the suspect or the accused of committing crimes for which the criminal court envisages the punishment in the form of the deprivation of freedom for a term of over two years, if it is impossible to apply a different, milder measure of restriction. For choosing a measure of restraint in the form of detention, the concrete circumstances shall be indicated in the judge's ruling which served as the grounds for the judge to adopt such a decision. In the exceptional cases this measure of restriction may be selected with respect to the suspect or the accused of committing a crime, the punishment for which is envisaged in the form of the deprivation of freedom for a term of up to two years, if there exists one of the following circumstances:

2. Taking into custody as a measure of restriction may be applied towards a minor suspect or accused, if he is suspected or accused of committing a grave or an especially grave crime. In the exceptional cases, this measure of restriction may be applied with respect to a minor who is suspected or accused of committing an ordinary crime.

3. If it is necessary to select taking into custody as a measure of restriction, public prosecutor, or investigator and the inquirer with the consent of the public prosecutor, address the court with the corresponding petition. In the resolution on filing the petition shall be described the motives and the grounds, by force of which the need has arisen for taking the suspect or the accused into custody, while selecting a different measure of restriction is impossible. To the resolution shall be enclosed the materials, confirming the substantiation of the petition. If the petition is filed with respect to the suspect detained in the order established by Articles 91 and 92 of the present Code, the resolution and the said documents shall be submitted to the judge not later than eight hours before an expiry of the term of detention.

4. The resolution on filing a petition for the selection of putting into custody as a measure of restraint shall be considered on his own by the judge of the district court or of the military court of the corresponding level, with the participation of the suspect or of the accused, of the public prosecutor and of the counsel for the defence, if such is taking part in the criminal case, at the place of conducting the preliminary investigation or at the place of detention of the suspect, in the course of eight hours from the moment of arrival of the materials at the court. The suspect, detained in accordance with the procedure established by Articles 91 and 92 of the present Code, shall be brought to the court session. The right to take part in the court session shall also be enjoyed by the legal representative of a minor suspect or accused, by the investigator and by the inquirer. The failure of the parties, timely notified about the hour of the court session, to arrive without serious reasons shall not be seen as an obstacle to considering the petition, with the exception of the failure to attend on the part of the accused.

5. The adoption of the court's pre-trial restraining order in the form of detention without the accused's absence is permitted only in case when an international search for the accused is announced.

6. At the start of the session, the judge shall announce what petition is subject to consideration and shall explain their rights and liabilities to the persons who have come to the court session. Then the public prosecutor or, on his orders, the person who has filed the petition shall explain the ground for it, after which the other persons, attending at the court session, shall be heard out.

7. Having considered the petition, th judge shall pass one of the following resolutions:

7.1. For the refusal to satisfy the motion for choosing a measure of restraint for the suspect or accused in the form of detention, the judge shall be authorised at his own initiative, if there are grounds stipulated by Article 97 of this Code and with account of the circumstances mentioned in Article 99 of this Code, to choose for the suspect or accused the measure of restraint in the form of bail or house arrest.

8. The judge's resolution shall be directed to the person who has filed the petition, to the public prosecutor, to the suspect or to the accused, and shall be subject to an immediate execution.

9. Repeatedly filing with the court a petition for taking into custody one and the same person on one and the same criminal case after the judge has passed the resolution on the refusal to select this measure of restriction, shall only be possible if new circumstances arise, which comprise the ground for the need to take the person into custody.

10. If the question about selection towards the defendant of taking into custody as a measure of restriction arises in the court, the decision to this effect shall be adopted by the court upon a party's petition or at its own initiative, on which a ruling or a resolution shall be passed.

11. The judge's resolution on the selection of taking into custody as a measure of restriction or on the refusal in this, may be appealed with the higher-placed court by way of cassation within three days from the day of passing such. The court of the cassation instance shall take the decision on the complaint or on the presentation not later than three days from the day of its receipt. The cassational court award on the reversal of the judge's ruling on the measure of restraint in the form of detention shall be immediately executed. The cassational court award may be appealed in the exercise of supervisory powers established by Chapter 48 of this Code.

12. The person conducting the proceedings on the criminal case shall be obliged to immediately notify someone of the close relatives of the suspect or of the accused, and if he has no such relatives - the other relations, and if it is a serviceman who is taken into custody - also the command of the military unit, about the place of his being held in custody or about the change of the place of holding him in custody.

13. It is prohibited to endow the powers specified in the present article on one and the same judge on a permanent basis. These powers shall be distributed among the judges of a specific court in compliance with the principle of criminal cases distribution.

14. The requirements of Article 95 of this Code shall extend to the accused kept in custody.

Article 109. Time Terms for Holding in Custody

1. Holding in custody during the inquisition of crimes shall not exceed two months.

2. If it is impossible to complete the preliminary investigation within a term of up to two months and if there are no grounds for changing or for cancelling the measure of restriction, this term may be extended by the judge of the district court or of the military court of the corresponding level in accordance with the procedure, established by the third part of Article 108 of the present Code, for a term of up to six months. Further extension of the term may be effected with respect to the persons, accused of committing grave and especially grave crimes, only if the criminal case is of a particular complexity and if there are grounds for selecting this measure of restriction, by the judge of the same court upon application from the investigator, filed with the consent of the procurator of the subject of the Russian Federation or of the military prosecutor equated with him, for up to twelve months.

3. The term of holding in custody for over twelve months may be extended only in exceptional cases, with respect to the persons accused of committing especially grave crimes, by the judge of the court specified in Part 3 of Article 31 of the present Code, or of the military court of the corresponding level at an application from the investigator, filed with the consent of the Procurator-General of the Russian Federation or of his Deputy, for up to 18 months.

4. A further extension of the said term is inadmissible. The accused, who is held in custody, shall be subject to an immediate release, with the exception of the cases mentioned in Item 1 of the eighth part of this Article.

5. The materials of the criminal case, whose inquisition is completed, shall be presented to the accused, held in custody, and to his counsel for the defence not later than thirty days before the end of the ultimate term for holding in custody, established by the second and the third parts of this Article.

6. If after the end of the preliminary investigation the materials of the criminal case were presented to the accused and to his counsel for the defence later than thirty days prior to the end of the ultimate term for holding in custody, the accused shall be subject to an immediate release after this term expires. In this case, the accused and his counsel for the defence shall retain the right to get acquainted with the materials of the criminal case.

7. If after the end of the preliminary investigation the time terms for the presentation of the materials of the given criminal case to the accused and to his counsel for the defence, stipulated by the fifth part of this Article, were observed, but 30 days fixed for their getting acquainted with the materials of the criminal case have proved insufficient, the investigator shall have the right, with the consent of the procurator of the subject of the Russian Federation, to file an application for an extension of this term with the court specified in Part 3 of Article 31 of the present Code, or with the military court of the corresponding level, not later than seven days prior to an expiry of the ultimate term for holding in custody. If several accused persons kept in custody participate in the proceedings in the criminal case, and if even one of them needs more than 30 days to get acquainted with the materials of the criminal case, then the investigator may file said application as regards very accused or those accused who have got acquainted with the materials of the criminal case, if there is still a need to keep him or them in custody and there are no grounds for applying a different measure of restraint.

8. A petition for extending the term of holding in custody has to be submitted to the court at least seven days before the expiry thereof. The judge shall take one of the following decisions in the manner specified in Parts 4, 8 and 11 of Article 108 of the present Code not later than in five days from the day of receiving the application:

9. The term of holding in custody in the period of the preliminary investigation shall be counted as from the moment of taking the suspect or the accused into custody and till the public prosecutor directs the criminal case to the court.

10. Into the term of holding in custody shall be included the time:

11. On the expiry of the maximum term of detention in the instances, provided for by Item 4 of Part Ten of this Article, and when it is necessary to hold a preliminary investigation, the court shall be entitled to extend the term of holding a person in custody in the procedure established by this Article but for six months at the most.

12. If the suspect or the accused is repeatedly taken into custody on one and the same criminal case, as well as on a criminal case combined with it or severed from it, the time term of holding in custody shall be computed with an account for the time which the suspect or the accused has spent in custody earlier.

13. It shall not be allowable to consider by a court the petition for extension of the term of the accused person's holding in custody in the absence thereof, save for the instances of the accused person's passing a stationary forensic psychiatric examination and for other circumstances making it impossible to convey him/her to the court, and it has to be proved by appropriate documents. With this, the participation of the defence counsel in court session shall be obligatory.

14. In the instance provided for by Part Thirteen of this Article, a judge shall render the decision on considering the issue of extending the term of holding in custody in the accused person's absence with an indication of the reasons for which the accused person cannot be present.

Article 110. Cancellation or Change of a Measure of Restriction

1. The measure of restriction shall be cancelled when it is no longer necessary, or it shall be changed to a stricter or a milder measure, when the grounds for selecting a measure of restriction, stipulated by Articles 97 and 99 of the present Code, are changed.

2. The cancellation or change of a measure of restriction shall be effected by the resolution of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or the judge, or by the ruling of the court.

3. The measure of restriction, selected in the course of the pre-trial proceedings by the public prosecutor, as well as by the investigator or by the inquirer under his written direction, may be cancelled or changed only with the public prosecutor's consent.

4. Abolished

Chapter 14. Other Measures of the Procedural Coercion

Article 111. Grounds for Application of Other Measures of Procedural Coercion

1. For the purposes of ensuring order for the criminal court proceedings, established by the present Code, and of proper execution of the sentence, the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or the court shall have the right to apply towards the suspect or the accused the following measures of the procedural coercion:

2. In the cases, stipulated by the present Code, the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or the court shall have the right to apply towards the victim, the witness, the civil claimant, civil defendant, expert, specialist, interpreter and/or an attesting witness the following measures of the procedural coercion:

Article 112. Obligation to Appear

1. If necessary, from the suspect and the accused, as well as from the victim or the witness, may be taken an obligation to appear.

2. The obligation to appear shall consist of a written commitment of the person, indicated in the first part of the present Article, to timely appear upon the summons of the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor, or to the court, and in case of the change of the place of residence to immediately inform about this. To the person shall be explained the consequences of his default of the commitment, about which the corresponding note shall be made in it.

Article 113. Forcible Bringing to Court

1. If they fail to appear at the summons without serious reasons, the suspect and the accused, as well as the victim and the witness, may be brought forcibly.

2. A forcible bringing shall consist in taking the person under coercion to the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor, or to the court.

3. If there exist some reasons, interfering with their appearance in response to the summons at the fixed time, the persons mentioned in the first part of this Article, shall immediately inform to this effect the body, by which they have been summoned.

4. The resolution of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or of the judge, or the ruling of the court on the forcible bringing shall be announced before its execution to the person who is going to be subjected to a forcible bringing, which shall be certified with his signature on the resolution or on the ruling.

5. A forcible bringing cannot be carried out at the night time, save for the instances when the matter brooks no delay.

6. Not subject to a forcible bringing shall be the minor who have not reached fourteen years of age, pregnant women, and sick persons who cannot leave the place of their stay on account of poor health, which shall be certified by a doctor.

7. A forcible bringing shall be effected by the bodies of inquiry under a judgement of the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor, and also by bailiffs responsible for ensuring the observance of the established courtroom procedure - on the orders of the court.

Article 114. Temporary Dismissal from the Post

1. If it is necessary to dismiss the suspect or accused person for a time from his/her post, the inquirer or the investigator with the consent of the public prosecutor, shall lodge with the court at the place of conducting the preliminary inquisition the corresponding application, with the exception of the case stipulated by the fifth part of this Article.

2. In the course of 48 hours from the moment of arrival of the application, the judge shall pass a resolution on the temporary dismissal of the suspect or the accused from the post, or on the refusal in this.

3. The resolution on temporary dismissal of the suspect or the accused from the post shall be directed to the place of his work.

4. The temporary dismissal of the suspect or the accused from the post shall be cancelled on the ground of the resolution of the inquirer or of the investigator, prosecutor, when the application of this measure is no longer necessary.

5. If the person taken to the bar as the accused is a high-placed official of the subject of the Russian Federation (the head of the higher executive body of the state power of the subject of the Russian Federation) and if he charged with committing a grave or an especially grave crime, the Procurator-General of the Russian Federation shall direct a presentation to the President of the Russian Federation for a temporary dismissal of the said person from his post. The President of the Russian Federation shall be obliged to take the decision on a temporary dismissal of the said person from his post or on the refusal in this within 48 hours from the moment of arrival of this presentation.

6. The suspect or the defendant, temporarily dismissed from his post, shall have the right to a monthly allowance to be paid out to him in conformity with Item 8 of the second part of Article 131 of the present Code.

Article 115. Putting the Property under Arrest

1. In order to provide guarantees for the enforcement of the judgement in the part of civil action for the recovery of other property or of possible confiscation of the property obtained a result of criminal actions or acquired criminally, the prosecutor and also the examining officer or investigator shall submit an application with the court, with the prosecutor's consent, for the arrest of the property owned by the suspect, the accused or by the persons bearing material responsibility for their actions. The court shall consider the application in the procedure established by Article 165 of this Code. For decision making on the arrest of property as security for its possible confiscation, the court shall point to concrete, actual circumstances which served as the grounds for such a decision to be adopted by it.

2. Putting the property under arrest shall amount to the prohibition, addressed to the owner or to the possessor of the property, to dispose and in the necessary cases - to make use of it, and also to the seizure of the property and handing it over into storage.

3. Put under arrest may be the property which is held by the other persons, if there are sufficient grounds to suppose that it was obtained as a result of the criminal actions of the suspect or of the accused.

4. There may not be sequestrated the property against which execution may not be levied in compliance with the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.

5. Property shall be put under arrest in the presence of attesting witnesses. In putting the property under arrest may take part a specialist.

6. The property, which is put under arrest, may be withdrawn or handed over at the discretion of the person who has effected the arrest, into storage to the owner or to the possessor of this property, or to another person, who shall be warned about their responsibility for the security of this property, on which the corresponding entry shall be made in the protocol.

7. If under arrest are put the monetary funds and the other valuables, belonging to the suspect or to the accused, which are kept on an account, in a deposit or in storage in the banks and in the other credit institutions, transactions on the given account shall be fully or partially stopped within the limits of the monetary funds and of the other valuables, which are put under arrest. The heads of the banks and of the other credit institutions shall be obliged to give information on these monetary funds and other valuables in response to an inquiry from the court, as well as from the public prosecutor or the investigator or the inquirer with the consent of the public prosecutor.

8. When the property is put under arrest, a protocol shall be compiled in conformity with the demands of Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code. If there is no property subject to an arrest, this shall be stated in the protocol. A copy of the minutes shall be handed over to the person whose property is seized.

9. The arrest of the property shall be cancelled on the ground of the resolution or the ruling of the person or of the body, under whose jurisdiction the proceedings on the criminal case are placed, when the application of this measure is no longer necessary.

Article 116. Specifics in the proceedings for Putting under Arrest Securities

1. To guarantee the probable confiscation of property gained as a result of criminal actions or acquired in a criminal way or the recompense of damage caused by the crime, the securities or their certificates shall be put under arrest at the location of the property or at the place of recording the rights of the owner of the securities, while observing the demands of Article 115 of the present Code.

2. Not subject to arrest shall be the bearer securities at the disposal of a bona fide acquirer.

3. In the protocol on putting the securities under arrest shall be pointed out:

4. The order for the performance of actions, involved in the redemption of the arrested securities, in the payment out of incomes on them, in their conversion, exchange or in the performance of other actions with them shall be established by the federal law.

Article 117. Monetary Penalty

If the participants in the criminal court proceedings fail to fulfil the procedural liabilities, stipulated by the present Code, and also in the case of their disorderly conduct at the court session, a monetary penalty may be imposed upon them in an amount of up to twenty-five minimum sizes of the remuneration of labour in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 118 of the present Code.

Article 118. Procedure for Imposing a Monetary Penalty and for Handing Over the Bail into the Revenue of the State

1. The monetary penalty shall be imposed by the court.

2. If the corresponding offence is committed in the course of a court session, the penalty shall be imposed by the court at the court session where this offence was established, about which shall be passed a court ruling or resolution.

3. If the corresponding offence is committed in the course of the pre-trial proceedings, the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall compile a protocol on the offence, which he shall forward to the district court and which is subject to consideration by the judge within five days from the moment of its arrival at the court. To the court session shall be summoned the person, upon whom the monetary penalty may be imposed, and the person who has compiled the protocol. The offender's failure to appear without a serious reason shall not be seen as an obstacle for the consideration of the protocol.

4. On the results of the consideration of the protocol, the judge shall pass a resolution on imposing a monetary penalty or on the refusal to impose such. A copy of the resolution shall be forwarded to the person who has compiled the protocol, and to the person, upon whom the monetary penalty is imposed.

5. When imposing a monetary penalty, the court has the right to put off its execution or to grant an instalment order of such for a term of up to three months.

6. The question about turning the bail into the revenue of the state in the cases, stipulated by the fourth part of Article 106 of the present Code, shall be resolved in the order established by the third and the fourth parts of this Article.

Section V. Petitions and Complaints

Chapter 15. Petitions

Article 119. Persons Enjoying the Right to File a Petition

1. The suspect or the accused, his counsel for the defence, the victim, his legal representative and his representative, the private prosecutor, the expert, as well as the civil claimant, the civil defendant and their representatives, shall have the right to file a petition for the performance of the procedural actions or for passing the procedural decisions, aimed at establishing the circumstances of importance for the criminal case, for guaranteeing the rights and lawful interests of the person who has lodged the petition or of the person he represents, respectively.

2. The petition shall be lodged with the inquirer, with the investigator and with the public prosecutor, or with the court.

3. The right to lodge a petition during the judicial proceedings is also enjoyed by the public prosecutor.

Article 120. Filing a Petition

1. A petition may be filed at any moment of the proceedings in a criminal case. A written petition shall be enclosed to the criminal case, and an oral one shall be entered into the protocol of the investigative action or court session.

2. Rejection of the petition shall not deprive the applicant of the right to file a petition again.

Article 121. Time Terms for Examining a Petition

A petition shall be subject to an examination and the resolution immediately after it is filed. If immediate decision-making on the petition, filed in the course of the preliminary inquisition, is impossible, it shall be resolved not later than three days from the day of being filed.

Article 122. Resolution of the Petition

On the satisfaction of the petition or on the complete or partial refusal to satisfy it, the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor and the judge shall pass a resolution, and the court - a ruling, which shall be brought to the knowledge of the person, who has filed this petition. The decision on a petition may be appealed against in accordance with the procedure established by Chapter 16 of the present Code.

Chapter 16. Filing Appeals Against the Actions and Decisions of the Court and of the Officials, Conducting the Criminal Court Proceedings

Article 123. The Right to Appeal

The actions (the lack of action) and the decisions of the body of inquiry, of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor and of the court may be appealed against in the procedure established by the present Code, by the participants in the criminal court proceedings, as well as by the other persons in that part, in which the performed procedural actions and the adopted procedural decisions infringe upon their interests.

Article 124. Procedure for the Consideration of a Complaint by the Public Prosecutor

1. The public prosecutor shall consider the complaint in the course of three days from the day of its receipt. In the exceptional cases, when it is necessary to demand that additional materials shall be supplied or other measures taken for checking it, it shall be admissible to consider the complaint within a term of up to ten days, about which the applicant shall be duly informed.

2. On the results of the consideration of the complaint, the public prosecutor shall pass a resolution on the complete or on a partial satisfaction of the complaint, or on the refusal to satisfy it.

3. The applicant shall be immediately notified about the decision, taken on the complaint, and about the further procedure for filing appeals against it.

4. In the cases, stipulated by the present Code, the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall have the right to file appeals against the actions (lack of action) and decisions of the public prosecutor with a higher-placed prosecutor.

Article 125. Court Procedure for Considering Complaints

1. The resolutions of the inquirer, the investigator and the public prosecutor on the refusal for the institution of a criminal case or in the termination of the criminal case and their other decisions and actions (lack of action), which may inflict a damage upon the constitutional rights and freedoms of the participants in the criminal court proceedings or may interfere with the citizens' access to the administration of justice, may be appealed against with the district court at the place of conducting the preliminary inquisition.

2. The complaint may be filed with the court by the applicant, by his counsel for the defence, by his legal representative or by his representative, either directly or through the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor.

3. The judge shall check the legality and substantiation of the actions (the lack of action) and decisions of the inquirer, the investigator and the public prosecutor, not later than five days after the day of arrival of the complaint, at a court session with the participation of the applicant and of his counsel for the defence, of his legal representative or his representative, if they are taking part in the criminal case, as well as of the other persons, whose interests are directly infringed upon by the action (lack of action) or by the decision, against which the appeal is filed, as well as with the participation of the public prosecutor. The failure of the persons, duly informed about the time of considering the complaint and not insisting on its consideration with their participation, shall not be seen as an obstacle to the consideration of the complaint by the court. Complaints to be considered by the court shall be considered in a public hearing unless stipulated otherwise by the second part of Article 241 of this Code.

4. At the start of the court session, the judge shall announce what complaint is subject to consideration, shall introduce himself to the persons, who have come to the court session, and shall explain their rights and liabilities. Then the applicant, if he is taking part in the court session, shall expose the ground for the complaint, after which the other persons in attendance at the court session shall be heard out. The applicant shall be granted the right to issue with a retort.

5. On the results of considering the complaint, the judge shall pass one of the following decisions:

6. Copies of the judge's resolution shall be directed to the applicant and to the public prosecutor.

7. The filing of a complaint shall not suspend the performance of the action and the decision, appealed against, unless the body of inquiry, the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or the judge finds it necessary.

Article 126. Procedure for Lodging a Complaint of the Suspect or the Accused, Held in Custody

The administration of the place of holding in custody shall immediately direct to the public prosecutor or to the court the complaints of the suspect or of the accused, held in custody, which are addressed to them.

Article 127. Complaint and Presentation Against the Sentence, Ruling or Resolution of the Court

1. The complaints and presentations against the sentences, rulings and the resolutions of the courts of the first and appeals instances, as well as the complaints and the presentations against the court decisions, taken in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on the criminal case, shall be filed in accordance with the order, established by Chapters 43 - 45 of the present Code.

2. The complaints and the presentations against the court decisions, which have come into the legal force, shall be filed in the order established by Chapters 48 and 49 of the present Code.

Section VI. Other Provisions

Chapter 17. Procedural Terms. Procedural Outlays

Article 128. Computation of the Term

1. The time terms stipulated by the present Code, shall be counted in hours, days and months. When calculating the terms in months, time and day, from which the course of the time term begins, shall not be taken into account, with the exception of the cases stipulated by the present Code. When computing the terms of the detention in custody, of the home arrest and of being kept at a medical treatment or psychiatric stationary hospital, into them shall also be included the non-working time.

2. The term, calculated in days, shall expire midnight of the last day. The term, counted in months, shall expire on the corresponding day of the last month, and if this month does not have the corresponding day, the term shall be seen to end on the last day of this month. If the end of the term falls on a non-working day, seen as the last day of the term shall be the first working day next to it, with the exception of the cases when are computed the terms of holding in detention, under the home arrest or at a medical treatment or psychiatric stationary hospital.

3. In the case of detention, the term shall be calculated as from the moment of the actual detention.

Article 129. Observation and Extension of the Term

1. The term shall not be seen as missed, if the complaint, petition or another document is taken to the post office, handed over to the person authorized to accept these, before an expiry of the term, and as concerns the persons held in custody or at a medical treatment or a psychiatric stationary hospital, if the complaint or another document is handed over before an expiry of the term to the administration of the place of the preliminary detention or of the medical treatment or the psychiatric stationary hospital.

2. The term may be extended only in the cases and in the order, established by the present Code.

Article 130. Restoration of a Missed Term

1. The term, missed because of serious reasons, shall be restored on the grounds of a resolution of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or the judge, under whose jurisdiction the given criminal case is placed. Refusal in the restoration of the term may be appealed against in the procedure established by the present Code.

2. Upon the petition of an interested person, the execution of the decision, appealed against with missing the fixed term, may be suspended until the question about the restoration of the missed term is resolved.

Article 131. Procedural Outlays

1. Seen as the procedural outlays shall be spending connected with the proceedings on the criminal case, which shall be recompensed from the funds of the federal budget or from the means of the participants in the criminal court proceedings.

2. To the procedural outlays shall be referred:

3. The sums, pointed out in the second part of the present Article, shall be paid out in accordance with the resolution of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor or of the judge, or under a court ruling.

Article 132. Exaction of Procedural Outlays

1. Procedural outlays shall be exacted from the convicts or shall be recompensed from the funds of the federal budget.

2. The court shall have the right to exact from the convict procedural outlays, with the exception of the sums, paid out to the interpreter and to the counsel for the defence in the cases, pointed out in the fourth and the fifth parts of this Article. The procedural outlays may also be exacted from the convict, relieved of the punishment.

3. The procedural outlays, involved in an interpreter's participation in the criminal case, shall be recompensed from the funds of the federal budget. If the interpreter has discharged his duties on official orders, his labour shall be remunerated by the state organization where he works.

4. If the suspect or the accused has voiced his refusal to counsel for the defence, but the refusal was not satisfied and a counsel for the defence has taken part in the criminal case on an appointment, the outlays on remunerating the lawyer's labour shall be recompensed from the funds of the federal budget.

5. In case of the person's rehabilitation, the procedural outlays shall be recompensed from the funds of the federal budget.

6. The procedural outlays shall be recompensed from the funds of the federal budget in case of the material insolvency of the person, from whom they should have been exacted. The court shall have the right to relieve the convict, fully or in part, of the payment for procedural outlays, if this may have an essential impact on the material position of the persons who are the convict's dependents.

7. While recognizing as guilty several defendants in the criminal case, the court shall determine in what amount the procedural outlays shall be exacted from every one of them. When doing this, the court shall take into account the character of the guilt, the degree of responsibility for the crime and the convict's property position.

8. On the criminal cases on crimes, committed by the under age persons, the court may impose the liability for the compensation of the procedural outlays upon the legal representatives of the under age persons.

9. If the defendant is acquitted on the criminal case of the private prosecution, the court shall have the right to exact procedural outlays, fully or in part, from the person, on whose complaint the proceedings on the given criminal case were instituted. If the criminal case is terminated because of the parties' reconciliation, the procedural outlays shall be exacted either from one party or from both parties.

Chapter 18. Rehabilitation

Article 133. Grounds for the Appearance of the Right to Rehabilitation

1. The right to the rehabilitation shall incorporate the right to the recompense of the property damage, to the elimination of consequences of the inflicted moral harm and to the reinstatement in the labour, pension, housing and other rights. The damage caused to the citizen as a result of the criminal prosecution, shall be recompensed by the state in full volume, regardless of the guilt of the body of inquiry, of the inquirer, the investigator, the public prosecutor and the court.

2. The right to the rehabilitation, including the right to the recompense of the damage inflicted in connection with the criminal prosecution, shall have:

3. The right to the compensation of the damage in accordance with the procedure laid down by this Chapter, shall also be enjoyed by any person, who has been illegally subjected to measures of the procedural coercion in the course of the proceedings on the criminal case.

4. The rules of this Article shall not be spread to those cases when measures of procedural coercion, applied towards the person have changed, or the adjudged verdict of guilty has been cancelled or modified in view of the issue of an act of amnesty, of an expiry of the term of legal limitation, or of not having reached the age from which criminal liability sets in, or in respect of a minor who, even though has attained the age of criminal liability, could not fully realise the actual nature and social menace of his/her actions (omission) and control these actions at the time of committal of the offence defined by criminal law due to retardation in mental development not relating to a psychological disorder, or of an adoption of the law, eliminating the criminality or the punishability of the act in question.

5. In other cases, the legal matters involved in the recompense of the damage shall be resolved in accordance with civil court proceedings.

Article 134. Recognizing the Right to Rehabilitation

1. The court shall recognize in the sentence, the ruling and the resolution, and the public prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer - in the resolution, the right to the rehabilitation of the acquitted person or of the person, the criminal prosecution of whom is terminated. Simultaneously, to the rehabilitated person shall be forwarded a notice with an explanation of the procedure for the recompense of the damage involved in the criminal prosecution.

2. In the absence of information on the place of residence of the heirs, the close relatives, the relations or the dependents of the deceased rehabilitated person, the notice shall be forwarded to them not later than five days after they have turned to the bodies of inquiry or of the preliminary investigation, or to the court.

Article 135. Compensation for Property Damage

1. The compensation to the rehabilitated person for property damage shall include the recompense of:

2. In the course of the terms of legal limitation, fixed by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, as from the day of receipt of a copy of the documents, pointed out in the first part of Article 134 of the present Code, and of the notice on the procedure for the recompense of the damage, the rehabilitated person shall have the right to lodge a claim for the recompense of the property damage with the body, which has passed the sentence and/or which has issued the ruling or the resolution on the termination of the criminal case, on the cancellation or modification of the illegal or the ungrounded decisions. If the criminal case is terminated, or if the sentence is changed by the higher-placed court, the claim for the recompense of the damage shall be directed to the court, which passed the sentence.

3. The claim for the recompense of the property damage may be lodged by the legal representative of the rehabilitated person.

4. Not later than one month from the day of receiving the claim for the recompense of the property damage, the judge, the public prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer shall determine its amount and shall pass a resolution on making the payments as compensation for this damage. The said payments shall be effected with an account for the level of the inflation.

5. The claim for the recompense of the property damage shall be resolved by the judge in conformity with the procedure established by Article 399 of the present Code for resolving the issues involved in the execution of the sentence.

6. A copy of the resolution shall be handed in or forwarded to the rehabilitated person, and in case of his death - to the persons named in the second part of Article 134 of the present Code.

Article 136. Recompense of Moral Damage

1. The public prosecutor on behalf of the state shall submit an official apology to the rehabilitated person for the damage inflicted upon him.

2. Claims for the recompense of the caused moral damage in money shall be presented by way of the civil court proceedings.

3. If the information about the detention of the rehabilitated person, about taking him into custody, his temporary dismissal from the post, the application towards him of coercive measures of the medical character, the conviction of the rehabilitated person and about the other illegal actions committed with respect to him were published in the press, or broadcast on the radio or on the television, or spread by the other mass media, at the demand of the rehabilitated person and in case of his death - of his close relatives or relations, or on a written order from the court, from the public prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer, the corresponding mass media shall be obliged to make a statement on his rehabilitation within 30 days.

4. At the demand of the rehabilitated person, and in case of his death - of his close relatives or his relations, the court, the public prosecutor or the inquirer shall be obliged, not later than within a term of fourteen days, to send written statements on the adopted decisions, acquitting the citizen, to the place of his work or of his studies, or to his place of residence.

Article 137. Appeal Against the Decision on Making Payments

The resolutions of the judge, the public prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer on making the payments and on the return of the property may be appealed against in accordance with the order established by Chapter 16 of the present Code.

Article 138. Reinstatement of the Other Rights of the Rehabilitated Person

1. The reinstatement of the rehabilitated person in his labour, pension, housing and other rights shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 399 of the present Code for resolving the issues involved in the execution of the sentence. If the claim for the recompense of the damage is not satisfied by the court, or if the rehabilitated person does not agree with the adopted court decision, he shall have the right to turn to the court by way of the civil court proceedings.

2. To the rehabilitated persons who were deprived, on the grounds of the court decision, of the special, military and honorary titles and class ranks. as well as of the state awards, the corresponding titles and class ranks shall be reinstated, and the state awards shall be returned.

Article 139. Recompense of the Damage to Legal Entities

The damage, inflicted upon legal entities by the illegal actions (lack of action) and decisions of the court, the public prosecutor, the investigator, the inquirer and of the body of inquiry, shall be compensated by the state in full volume, in accordance with the procedure and within the terms, established by the present Chapter.

Part Two. Pre-Trial Proceedings

Section VII. Institution of a Criminal Case

Chapter 19. Reasons and Grounds for the Institution of a Criminal Case

Article 140. Reasons and Grounds for the Institution of a Criminal Case

1. The following shall serve as the reasons for the institution of a criminal case:

2. Seen as the ground for the institution of a criminal case shall be the existence of the sufficient data, pointing to the signs of a crime.

Article 141. Report on a Crime

1. A report on a crime may be made either verbal or in writing.

2. A written report on a crime shall be signed by the applicant.

3. A verbal report on a crime shall be entered into the protocol, which shall be signed by the applicant and by the person who has accepted the given report. The protocol shall contain the data on the applicant, as well as on the documents, identifying the person of the applicant.

4. If a verbal communication on the crime is made during the performance of an investigative action or in the course of the judicial proceedings, it shall be entered, respectively, into the protocol of the investigative action or into the protocol of the court session.

5. If the applicant cannot attend in person when the protocol is compiled, his report shall be formalized in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 143 of the present Code.

6. The applicant shall be warned about the criminal liability for a deliberately false denunciation in conformity with Article 306 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, about which a note, certified with the applicant's signature, shall be made in the protocol.

7. An anonymous report on the crime cannot serve as a reason for the institution of a criminal case.

Article 142. Giving Oneself Up

1. Seen as an application on giving oneself up shall be the person's voluntary statement about the crime he has committed.

2. An application for giving himself up may be made both in writing and verbally. A verbal statement shall be accepted and entered into the protocol in accordance with the procedure established by the third part of Article 141 of the present Code.

Article 143. Report on the Exposure of Signs of a Crime

A communication about the committed or prepared crime, received from the sources other than those pointed out in Articles 141 and 142 of the present Code, shall be accepted by the person, who has received the given communication, about which he shall compile a report on the exposure of the signs of a crime.

Article 144. Procedure for Considering the Communication on a Crime

1. The inquirer, the body of inquiry, the investigator and the public prosecutor shall be obliged to accept and to check up the communication about any committed or prepared crime and, within the scope of the competence established by the present Code, to take the decision on it within a term of not more than three days from the day when said communication came in. When checking a report on a crime, the body of inquiry, inquirer, investigator and prosecutor shall be entitled to demand carrying out documentary and audit inspections and to draw specialists to participation therein.

2. The communication about a crime in the mass media shall be checked up on the public prosecutor's orders by the body of inquiry or by the investigator. The editorial board and the editor in chief of the corresponding mass medium shall be obliged to hand over, on the demand of the public prosecutor, of the investigator or of the body of inquiry, the documents and materials, confirming the communication on the crime, which are at the disposal of the given mass medium, as well as the data on the person who has supplied the said information, with the exception of the cases when this person has given an assurance that the source of information shall be kept secret.

3. The public prosecutor, the head of the investigation department and the head of the body of inquiry shall have the right, upon a petition, respectively, of the investigator and of the inquirer, to extend the term, stipulated by the first part of the present Article, up to ten days, and where it is necessary to carry out documentary or audit inspections, the prosecutor shall have the right to extend this term up to thirty days on the petition of the investigator or inquirer.

4. The applicant shall be issued a document about accepting the communication on a crime with the information on the person who has accepted it and with an indication of the date and the hour of its acceptance.

5. Refusal to accept the communication on a crime may be appealed against with the public prosecutor or with the court in the procedure established by Articles 124 and 125 of the present Code.

6. A report from the victim on the criminal cases of the private prosecution shall be considered by the judge in accordance with Article 318 of the present Code.

Article 145. Decisions Taken on the Results of Considering the Communication on a Crime

1. On the results of considering the communication on a crime, the body of inquiry, the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall take one of the following decisions:

2. The applicant shall be informed about the adopted decision. He shall also be explained his right to appeal against the given decision and the procedure for filing an appeal.

3. In case of adoption of the decision stipulated by Item 3 of the first part of this Article, the body of inquiry, the inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall take measures for the preservation of the signs of the crime.

Chapter 20. Procedure for the Institution of a Criminal Case

Article 146. Institution of a Criminal Case of the Public Prosecution

1. If there exist the reasons and the grounds, stipulated by Article 140 of the present Code, the body of inquiry, the inquirer or the investigator with the consent of the public prosecutor, as well as the public prosecutor within the scope of his competence established by the present Code, shall institute a criminal case, about which the corresponding resolution shall be passed.

2. In the resolution on instituting a criminal case shall be pointed out:

3. If the criminal case is forwarded to the public prosecutor for determining its jurisdiction, in the resolution on instituting the criminal case shall be made a corresponding note.

4. The resolution of the investigator and of the inquirer on the institution of a criminal case shall be immediately forwarded to the public prosecutor. To the resolution shall be enclosed materials on the verification of the communication on the crime, and if the individual investigative actions have been performed for the confirmation of the signs of the crime and for identification of the person who has perpetrated it (an inspection of the place of the event, an examination, an appointment of the court examination) - the corresponding protocols and resolutions. Having received the resolution, the prosecutor shall immediately give his consent to the institution of a criminal case or shall pass a resolution on the refusal to give his consent to the institution of a criminal case or on the return of the materials for an additional check-up, which must be completed within five days. The investigator or the inquirer shall on the same day inform the applicant, as well as the person, with respect to whom the criminal case is instituted, about the public prosecutor's decision. If the criminal case is instituted by the captains of sea-going or river vessels on a long voyage, by the heads of the geological prospecting parties or winterings, distanced from the place of location of the bodies of inquiry, or by the heads of the diplomatic representations or of the consular institutions of the Russian Federation, the said persons shall immediately notify the public prosecutor about the started inquisition. In the given case, the resolution on instituting a criminal case and the relevant materials shall be handed over to the public prosecutor without delay as soon as a realistic possibility for this appears.

Article 147. Institution of a Criminal Case of the Private-Public Prosecution

1. Criminal cases on crimes, mentioned in the third part of Article 20 of the present Code, shall be instituted only upon an application from the victim. Proceedings on such criminal cases shall be conducted in the general order.

2. The public prosecutor shall also have the right to institute a criminal case in the absence of the victim's application, if the latter cannot defend his rights and lawful interests because of his helpless condition.

Article 148. Refusal in the Institution of a Criminal Case

1. If there are no grounds for the institution of a criminal case, the public prosecutor, the investigator, the body of inquiry or the inquirer shall pass a resolution on the refusal to institute a criminal case. The refusal in the institution of a criminal case on the ground, stipulated by Item 2 of the first part of Article 24 of the present Code, shall be admissible only with respect to the concrete person.

2. When passing the resolution on the refusal of the institution of a criminal case on the results of checking the communication about the crime, based on the suspicion of its perpetration by the concrete person or persons, the public prosecutor, the investigator or the body of inquiry shall be obliged to consider the question about the institution of a criminal case for a deliberately false denunciation with respect to the person, who has reported or spread the false communication about the crime.

3. Information on the refusal to institute a criminal case by the results of checking the communication about the crime, spread by a mass medium, shall be subject to an obligatory publication.

4. A copy of the resolution on the refusal to institute a criminal case shall be directed to the applicant and to the public prosecutor within 24 hours from the moment of passing such. In this case, to the applicant shall be explained his right to appeal against the given resolution and the procedure for filing an appeal.

5. Refusal in the institution of a criminal case may be appealed against with the prosecutor or with the court in conformity with the procedure, established by Articles 124 and 125 of the present Code.

6. Having declared a refusal to open a criminal case as unlawful or without ground, the prosecutor shall revoke the decision on refusal to open the criminal case and institute criminal proceedings in the manner established by the present article or return the materials for additional verification.

7. Having recognized the refusal in the institution of a criminal case as illegal or ungrounded, the judge shall pass the corresponding resolution, forward it for execution to the public prosecutor and notify to this effect the applicant.

Article 149. Directing a Criminal Case

After passing the resolution on the institution of a criminal case in the procedure established by Article 146 of the present Code:

Section VIII. Preliminary Inquisition

Chapter 21. General Terms for the Preliminary Inquisition

Federal Law No. 187-FZ of December 28, 2004 amended Article 150 of this Code. The amendments shall enter into force 30 days following its official publication date

Article 150. Forms of the Preliminary Inquisition

1. A preliminary inquisition shall be conducted in the form of a preliminary investigation or in the form of an enquiry.

2. Conducting a preliminary investigation shall be obligatory for all criminal cases, with the exception of the criminal cases mentioned in the third part of the present Article.

3. An enquiry shall be carried out:

4. The criminal cases specified in Item 1 of Part 3 of the present article may be transferred for preliminary investigation under a written direction of the prosecutor.

Federal Law No. 187-FZ of December 28, 2004 amended Article 151 of this Code. The amendments shall enter into force 30 days following its official publication date

Article 151. Investigative Jurisdiction

1. A preliminary inquisition shall be conducted by the investigators and by the inquirers.

2. A preliminary investigation shall be conducted:

3. The inquiry shall be carried out:

4. On criminal cases on crimes envisaged by Articles 275, 276, 283 and 284 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, of the perpetration of which are accused the persons, pointed out in Subitem c) of Item 1 of the second part of the present Article, a preliminary investigation shall be conducted by investigators from the bodies of the federal security service.

5. On the criminal cases on crimes envisaged by the Parts Three and Four of Article 158, 159 with the second to fourth parts, 160 with the second-fourth parts, by Parts Two and Three of Article 161, by Article 162, by the second part of Article 171, by the second part of Article 171.1, by Articles 172-174, 174.1, 176, 183, 185, 187, 188 and 190, by the second part of Article 191, by Articles 192, 193, 195-197, 201, 202, 204, 206, 208-210, by the second and the third parts of Article 222, by the second-the fourth parts of Article 226, by 228 with the second part, 228.1, by Articles 272-274, 282.1, 282.2, 308 and 310, by the second part of Article 327 and by the second part of Article 327.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a preliminary investigation may also be conducted by the investigators of the body, which has revealed these crimes.

6. In the criminal cases for crimes envisaged by Articles 150, 285, 285.1, 285.2, 286, 290-293 and 306-310, by the second part of Article 311, by Articles 316 and 320 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a preliminary investigation shall be conducted by the investigators of that body, under whose investigative jurisdiction the crime, in connection with which the corresponding criminal case is instituted, is referred.

7. If in one and the same procedure are combined the criminal cases, placed under the investigative jurisdiction of different bodies of the preliminary investigation, the investigative jurisdiction shall be determined by the public prosecutor under the observation of the investigative jurisdiction, established by this Article.

8. Disputes concerning the investigative jurisdiction of a criminal case shall be settled by a prosecutor.

Article 152. Place of Conducting a Preliminary Inquisition

1. A preliminary inquisition shall be conducted at the place of committing the action containing the signs of a crime, with the exception of the cases dealt with in this Article. If it is necessary to conduct the investigative or the search actions at a different place, the investigator shall have the right to carry these out himself, or to entrust the carrying out of these actions, respectively, to the investigator or to the body of inquiry, who (which) shall be obliged to execute the order within ten days.

2. If the crime was started in one place and completed in another, the criminal cases shall be investigated at the place where the crime was completed.

3. If the crimes are committed at different places, the criminal case shall be investigated, per the decision of the public prosecutor, at the place of the perpetration of the majority of the crimes or at the place of the perpetration of the most serious crime of all.

4. A preliminary inquisition may be conducted at the place of location of the accused or of the majority of witnesses in order to ensure its fullness and objectivity, as well as the observation of the procedural time terms.

5. Having realized that the criminal case is out of their investigative jurisdiction, the investigator and the inquirer shall perform the urgent investigative actions and then hand the criminal case over to the public prosecutor for passing it on in accordance with its investigative jurisdiction.

Article 153. Combining of Criminal Cases

1. In a single procedure may be combined criminal cases with respect to:

2. Combining of criminal cases shall also be admissible in the cases, when the person who must be involved as the defendant is not identified, while there are grounds to believe that several crimes have been perpetrated by one person or by a group of persons.

3. Combining of criminal cases shall be effected on the grounds of a resolution of the public prosecutor.

4. When criminal cases are combined, the time term for the procedure on these shall be determined by the criminal case with the longest term of preliminary investigation. In this case, the term of the procedure on the rest of the criminal cases shall be consumed by the longest term and shall not be computed in addition to it.

Article 154. Separation of a Criminal Case

1. The inquirer, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall have the right to set apart from a criminal case into a separate procedure another criminal case with respect to:

2. Severance of a criminal case into a separate procedure for completing the preliminary inquisition shall be seen as admissible, if this does not tell of the comprehensive and objective character of the preliminary inquisition and of the resolution of the criminal case, and also when this is called forth by a large volume of the criminal case or by the multiplicity of its episodes.

3. The separation of a criminal case shall be performed on the ground of the resolution of the public prosecutor, of the investigator or of the inquirer. If a criminal case is discerned as separate proceedings for the purposes of performing a preliminary investigation of a new crime or in respect of a new person the decision shall contain a decision to bring criminal action in the manner set out in Article 146 of the present Code.

4. In the criminal case set apart into a separate procedure shall be contained the originals or the copies of the procedural documents of importance to the given criminal case, certified by the public prosecutor, by the investigator or by the inquirer.

5. The materials of a criminal case, cut into separate proceedings shall be admitted as proof on the given criminal case.

6. The term of the preliminary investigation on a criminal case, set apart into separate proceedings, shall be counted as from the day of passing the corresponding resolution, when the criminal case is set apart on a new crime or with respect to a new person. In the rest of the cases, the term shall be counted as from the moment of institution of that criminal case, from which the criminal case in question is severed into a separate procedure.

Article 155. Cutting into Separate Proceedings the Criminal Case Materials

1. If the perpetration of a crime, not connected with the presently inquisited crime, becomes known in the course of the preliminary inquisition, the inquirer or the investigator shall pass a resolution on separating the materials containing information on the new crime, from the criminal case and on forwarding them to the public prosecutor for taking the decision in conformity with Articles 144 and 145 of the present Code.

2. The materials containing data on a new crime and set apart from a criminal case into a separate proceedings shall be admitted as evidence in respect of this criminal case.

Article 156. Start of the Procedure of the Preliminary Inquisition

1. The preliminary inquisition begins as from the moment of instituting the criminal case, on which the investigator or the inquirer, or the body of inquiry shall pass the corresponding resolution to be agreed with the public prosecutor. The investigator or the inquirer shall also point out in the resolution that he has accepted the criminal case for his own proceedings.

2. If the investigator or the inquirer is entrusted with the proceedings on an already instituted criminal case, he shall pass the resolution on accepting it on his own proceedings, a copy of which shall be directed to the public prosecutor within 24 hours as of the moment of passing such.

Federal Law No. 58-FZ of June 29, 2004 amended Article 157 of this Code

Article 157. Procedure for Urgent Investigative Actions

1. If there are the signs of a crime, on which the performance of a preliminary investigation is obligatory, the body of inquiry shall institute a criminal case and shall carry out urgent investigative actions in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 146 of the present Code.

2. Urgent investigative actions shall be performed by:

3. After the performance of urgent actions and not later than ten days from the day of institution of a criminal case, the body of inquiry shall forward the criminal case to the public prosecutor in conformity with Item 3 of Article 149 of the present Code.

4. After the criminal case is passed to the prosecutor, the body of inquiry may carry out investigative actions and take operational-search measures on it only on the orders of the public prosecutor. If to the public prosecutor is directed a criminal case, on which the person who has committed the crime is not identified, the body of inquiry shall be obliged to launch the search and the operational-search measures for establishing the person who has perpetrated the crime, and to inform the investigator on the results thereof.

Article 158. End of the Preliminary Inquisition

1. The procedure for the preliminary inquisition shall be ended:

2. Having established in the course of the pre-trial proceedings on the criminal case the circumstances, conducive to the perpetration of the crime, the investigator shall have the right to make a presentation to the corresponding organization or to the corresponding official for these to take measures for eliminating the said circumstances or other law offences. The given presentation shall be subject to examination with an obligatory notification about the launched measures not later than one month from the day of taking it.

Article 158.1. Restoration of Criminal Cases

1. A lost criminal case or materials thereof shall be restored by decision of a prosecutor, or by a court decision directed to a prosecutor for execution in the event of losing the criminal case or materials thereof in the course of court proceedings.

2. A criminal case shall be restored on the basis of extant copies of a criminal case's materials which may be recognized as evidence in the procedure established by this Code and by way of committing procedural actions.

3. The term of inquiry, preliminary investigation and holding in custody in the event of restoring a criminal case shall be estimated in the procedure established by Articles 109, 162 and 223 of this Code.

4. If the maximum time for holding in custody under a criminal case has expired, the convict shall be subject to immediate release.

Article 159. Obligatory Nature of Examining the Petition

1. The investigator or the inquirer shall be obliged to consider every petition, applied on the criminal case, in accordance with the order established by Chapter 15 of the present Code.

2. In this case the suspect or the accused, his counsel for the defence, as well as the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant or their representatives, cannot be refused in the interrogation of the witnesses, in carrying out a court examination or other investigative actions if the circumstances for the establishment of which they apply, are of importance for the given criminal case.

3. If the satisfaction of the petition is fully or partially refused, the investigator or the inquirer shall pass a resolution.

4. The resolution on the refusal in the satisfaction of the petition may be appealed against in accordance with the procedure established by Chapter 16 of the present Code.

Article 160. Measures for Care for the Children and the Dependents of the Suspect or the Accused, and Measures for Ensuring the Security of His Property

1. If the suspect or the accused, who is detained or is taken into custody, has the minors or other dependents left without care and support, as well as the old-aged parents in need of being looked after by others, the investigator and the inquirer shall take measures for putting them into the care of close relatives or relations or other persons, or for placing them into the childrens' institutions or social establishments.

2. The investigator and the inquirer shall take measures to ensure the security of the property and the living quarters of the suspect or of the accused, who is detained or taken into custody.

3. The investigator and the inquirer shall notify the suspect or the accused about the taken measures.

Article 161. Inadmissibility of Divulging the Data of the Preliminary Inquisition

1. The data of the preliminary inquisition shall not be divulged, with the exception of the cases envisaged in the third part of this Article.

2. The public prosecutor, the investigator or the inquirer shall warn the participants in the criminal court proceedings about the inadmissibility of divulging without the permission the data of the preliminary inquisition, on which the recognizance shall be taken from them with the warning about their responsibility in conformity with Article 310 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

3. The data of the preliminary inquisition may be revealed only with the permission of the public prosecutor, the investigator and the inquirer, and only in that volume, in which they recognize this as admissible, if such divulgence does not contradict the interests of the preliminary inquisition and is not connected with a violation of the rights and lawful interests of the participants in the criminal court proceedings. The divulgence of the data on the private life of the participants in the criminal court proceedings without their consent shall be inadmissible.

Chapter 22. Preliminary Investigation

Article 162. Term of the Preliminary Investigation

1. The preliminary investigation on a criminal case shall be completed within two months from the day of institution of the criminal case.

2. Into the term of the preliminary investigation shall be included the period of time from the day of institution of the criminal case untill the day of forwarding it to the public prosecutor with the conclusion of guilt or with the resolution on handing over the criminal case to the court for examining the question about the application of forcible measures of the medical character, or untill the day of adopting the resolution on the termination of the proceedings on the criminal case.

3. Into the term of the preliminary investigation shall not be included the time, during which the preliminary investigation was suspended on the grounds envisaged by the present Code.

4. The term of the preliminary investigation, stipulated by the first part of this Article, may be extended by up to six months by the public prosecutor of the district or the city and by the military prosecutor equated with him, as well as by their deputies.

5. The term of the preliminary investigation on a criminal case, the inquisition of which is particularly complicated, may be extended by the procurator of the subject of the Russian Federation or by the military prosecutor equated with him and also the deputies thereof, by up to twelve months. A further extension of the term of the preliminary investigation may be effected only in exceptional cases by the Procurator General of the Russian Federation or by his Deputies.

6. If the public prosecutor returns the criminal case for conducting an additional investigation, and also if the suspended or the terminated criminal case is resumed, the term of an additional investigation, established by the public prosecutor, cannot exceed one month from the day when the given criminal case came to the investigator. A further extension of the term of the preliminary investigation shall be performed on general grounds in accordance with the order established by this Article.

7. If it is necessary to extend the term of the preliminary investigation, the investigator shall pass the corresponding resolution and shall submit it to the public prosecutor not later than five days prior to an expiry of the term of the preliminary investigation.

8. The investigator shall notify in writing the accused and his counsel for the defence, as well as the victim and the representative thereof about the extension of the term of the preliminary investigation.

Article 163. Conducting a Preliminary Investigation by an Investigative Group

1. The conducting of a preliminary investigation on a criminal case of a special complexity or of large volume may be entrusted to an investigative group, about which a separate resolution shall be passed or which shall be pointed out in the resolution on the institution of the criminal case.

2. The decision on the performance of a preliminary investigation by an investigative group and on changing the composition thereof shall be taken by the public prosecutor or the head of the investigation department. In the resolution shall be listed all the investigators, who are entrusted with conducting the preliminary investigation; among other things, it shall be pointed out what particular investigator is appointed as the head of the investigative group. Into the work of the investigative group may be involved officials from the bodies engaged in the operational-search activity. The composition of an investigative group shall be announced to the suspect or to the accused.

3. The head of the investigative group shall assume the criminal case as for his own proceedings, shall organise the work of the investigative group, shall guide the actions of the other investigators and compile the conclusion of guilt or pass the resolution on forwarding the criminal case to the court for considering the question about the application of coercive measures of the medical character towards the person who has committed the crime, and shall forward the given resolution, together with the criminal case, to the public prosecutor.

4. The head of the investigative group shall take decisions on:

5. The head and the members of an investigative group shall have the right to take part in the investigative actions performed by the other investigators, to conduct investigative actions themselves and to adopt decisions on the criminal case in the order established by the present Code.

Article 164. General Rules for Conducting Investigative Actions

1. The investigative actions, stipulated by Articles 178, part 3, 179, 182 and 183 of the present Code, shall be conducted on the ground of the investigator's resolution.

2. In the cases envisaged by Items 4-9 and 11 of the second part of Article 29 of the present Code, investigative actions shall be carried out on the grounds of a court decision.

3. Conducting an investigative action in night time shall be inadmissible, with the exception of urgent cases.

4. The application of violence, threats and other illegal actions in conducting investigative actions, or the creation of a threat to the life and health of those participating in them, shall be prohibited.

5. While drawing into the participation in investigative actions the participants in the criminal court proceedings, pointed out in Chapters 6-8 of the present Code, the investigator shall ascertain their person and explain to them their rights and responsibility, as well as the procedure for the performance of the corresponding investigative action. If in the performance of the investigative action is taking part the victim, witness, specialist, expert or an interpreter, he shall also be warned about the responsibility, stipulated by Articles 307 and 308 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

6. In conducting investigative actions may be applied technical devices and methods for the detection, fixation and seizure of the traces of the crime and of the demonstrative proof.

7. The investigator shall have the right to draw into the investigative actions an official from the body engaged in the operational-search activity, about which the corresponding entry shall be made into the protocol.

8. In the course of the performance of an investigative action, a protocol shall be kept in conformity with Article 166 of the present Code.

Article 165. Judicial Procedure for Obtaining Permission for the Performance of an Investigative Action

1. In the cases, envisaged by Items 4-9 and by thesecond part of Article 29 of the present Code, the investigator shall lodge to the court, with the consent of the public prosecutor, a petition for the performance of an investigative action on which a resolution shall be passed.

2. The petition for the performance of an investigative action shall be subject to consideration by a judge on his own of a district court or of a military court of the corresponding level at the place where the preliminary investigation is conducted or the investigative action is performed, no later than 24 hours from the moment when the said petition came in.

3. The public prosecutor and the investigator have the right to participate in the court session.

4. Having considered said petition, the judge shall pass a resolution on permitting the performance of the investigative action or on the refusal in the performance of such, with an indication of the motives for such refusal.

5. In exceptional cases when an examination of living quarters, search and seizure in the living quarters, as well as personal search cannot be delayed, the above-mentioned investigative actions may be performed on the ground of the investigator's resolution, without obtaining a judicial decision. In this case, the investigator shall be obliged, within 24 hours from the moment of starting the performance of the investigative action, to notify the judge and the public prosecutor about the performance of the investigative action. To the notification shall be enclosed copies of the resolution on the performance of the investigative action and of the protocol of investigative action for checking up the legality of the decision on the performance of such. Having received this notification, the judge shall be obliged to verify the legality of the performed investigative action within the term stipulated by the second part of this Article and to pass a resolution on its legality or illegality. If the judge recognizes the performed investigative action as illegal all proofs obtained in the course of such investigative action shall be recognized as inadmissible in conformity with Article 75 of the present Code.

Article 166. Protocol of an Investigative Action

1. The protocol of an investigative action shall be compiled in the course of the investigative action or directly after completing it.

2. The protocol may be written by hand or made with the use of technical devices. During the performance of an investigative action may also be applied short-hand, photography, cinema shooting and audio and video recording. Short-hand and verbatim reports, photographic negatives and photographs, as well as audio and video recordings shall be kept in the criminal case file.

3. In the protocol shall be pointed out:

4. In the protocol shall be described the procedural actions in the order in which they were performed and the circumstances of importance for the given criminal case, revealed during their performance; the statements of the persons, who have taken part in the investigative action, shall also be cited.

5. In the protocol it shall also be indicated the technical devices applied when performing the investigative action, the terms and the order of their use, the objects towards which these devices were applied, and the obtained results. In the protocol it shall be pointed out that the persons, who have taken part in the investigative action, were warned in advance about the application of the technical devices in the performance of the investigative action.

6. The protocol shall be presented for getting acquainted with it to all the persons who have taken part in the investigative action. To the said persons shall be explained their right to make remarks on its extension and specification which shall be entered into the protocol. All the entered remarks on an extension and the specification of the protocol shall be agreed with, and certified by the signatures of these persons.

7. The protocol shall be signed by the investigator and by the persons who have taken part in the investigative action.

8. To the protocol shall be enclosed the photographic negatives and photographs, cinema films, slides and phonograms of interrogation, video recording cassettes, computer information media, the draughts, maps and schemes, as well as the moulds and the imprints of the traces, made during the performance of the investigative action.

9. If it is necessary to provide for the safety of the victim, of his representative and witness, of their close relatives, relations and their near and dear persons, the investigator shall have the right not to supply the data on these persons in the protocol of the investigative action, in which the victim and his representative or witness have taken part. In this case, the investigator with the consent of the public prosecutor shall pass the resolution, in which the reasons for the adoption of the decision on keeping a secret about these data, the pseudonym of the participant in the investigative action and a sample of his signature which he will be using in the protocols of the investigative actions performed with his participation. The resolution shall be put into an envelope, which shall be sealed and enclosed to the criminal case file.

10. The protocol shall also contain an entry on the explanation to the participants in the investigative action, in conformity with the present Code, of their rights and responsibility, and of the procedure for the performance of the investigative action, which shall be certified with the signatures of the participants in the investigative actions.

Article 167. Certification of the Fact of Refusal to Sign or Impossibility to Sign the Protocol of an Investigative Action

1. If the suspect, the accused, the victim or another person, participating in an investigative action, refuses to sign the protocol of the investigative action, the investigator shall enter into it a corresponding entry, which shall be certified with the investigator's signature, as well as with the signatures of the counsel for the defence, of the legal representative or of the representative, and of the attesting witnesses, if they are taking part in the investigative action.

2. To the person, who has refused to sign the protocol, shall be provided an opportunity to explain the reasons for the refusal, which is to be entered into the given protocol.

3. If the suspect, the accused, the victim or the witness cannot sign the protocol because of his physical defects or on account of the poor state of his health, this person shall be made acquainted with the text of the protocol in the presence of the counsel for the defence, of the legal representative, of the representative or of the attesting witnesses, who shall confirm with their signatures the content of the protocol and the fact of the impossibility to sign it.

Article 168. Participation of a Specialist

1. The investigator shall have the right to draw into the participation in an investigative action the specialist in conformity with the demands of the fifth part of Article 164 of the present Code.

2. Before the start of the investigative action, in which the specialist is taking part, the investigator shall become convinced of the former's competence, shall find out his relationships with the suspect,

the accused and the victim, and shall explain to the specialist his rights and his responsibility, stipulated by Article 58 of the present Code.

Article 169. Participation of an Interpreter

1. In the cases, envisaged by the second part of Article 18 of the present Code, the investigator shall draw into the participation in an investigative action an interpreter, in conformity with the demands of the fifth part of Article 164 of the present Code.

2. Before the start of the investigative action, in which an interpreter is taking part, the investigator shall make certain of the former's competence and shall explain to him his rights and responsibility, stipulated by Article 59 of the present Code.

Article 170. Participation of Attesting Witnesses

1. In the cases, envisaged in Articles 115, 177, 178, 181-184, in the fifth part of Article 185, in the seventh part of Article 186, in Articles 193 and 194 of the present Code, investigative actions are performed with the participation of at least two attesting witnesses, who shall be summoned for the certification of the fact of the performance of the investigative action, of its process and its results, with the exception of the cases mentioned in the third part of the present Article.

2. In the rest of the cases, investigative actions shall be performed without the participation of attesting witnesses, unless the investigator adopts a different decision upon the petition of participants in the criminal court proceedings or at his own initiative.

3. In a locality which is difficult to access and if there are no proper communication facilities, as well as in the cases when the performance of an investigative action is connected with a danger for the life and health of people, the investigative actions envisaged in the first part of this Article may be carried out without the participation of attesting witnesses, about which the corresponding note shall be made in the protocol of the investigative action. If an investigative action is carried out without the participation of attesting witnesses, technical devices shall be applied for reflecting its process and results. If in the course of an investigative action the application of technical devices is impossible, the investigator shall make the corresponding entry into the protocol.

4. Before the start of an investigative action, the investigator shall explain to the attesting witnesses, in conformity with the fifth part of Article 164 of the present Code, the purpose of the investigative action and their rights and responsibilities, stipulated by Article 60 of the present Code.

Chapter 23. Bringing to Court the Accused. Bringing the Charge

Article 171. The Procedure for the Involvement as the Accused

1. If there exist sufficient proof, comprising a ground for bringing a charge against the person for the perpetration of a crime, the investigator shall pass a resolution on taking the given person to the bar in the capacity of the defendant.

2. In the resolution shall be pointed out:

3. If the person is accused of committing several crimes, envisaged by different Items, parts and Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, in the resolution on taking him to the bar in the capacity of the defendant shall be pointed out what particular actions are incriminated to him on every one of these norms of the criminal law.

4. If several persons are taken to the bar on one criminal case in the capacity of the defendants, the resolution on the involvement in the capacity of the accused shall be passed with respect to every one of them.

Article 172. Procedure for Bringing a Charge

1. A charge shall be brought against a person not later than three days from the day of passing the resolution on taking him to the bar in the capacity of the defendant in the presence of his counsel of the defence, if the latter is taking part in the criminal case.

2. The investigator shall notify the accused about the day of bringing the charge and shall simultaneously explain to him his right to invite a counsel for the defence on his own or to file a petition for guaranteeing the participation of a counsel for the defence by the investigator in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 50 of the present Code.

3. The accused, who is held in custody, shall be informed about the day when the charge is going to be brought through the administration of the place where he is held in custody.

4. The accused, who is at large, shall be notified about the day of bringing the charge in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 188 of the present Code.

5. The investigator, having identified the person of the accused, shall announce to him and to his counsel for the defence, if the latter is taking part in the criminal case, the resolution on taking the given person to the bar in the capacity of defendant. In this case the investigator shall explain to the accused the substance of the presented charge, as well as his rights stipulated by Article 47 of the present Code, which shall be certified with the signatures of the accused, of his counsel for the defence and of the investigator on the resolution with an indication of the date and the hour of bringing the charge.

6. If the accused or his counsel for the defence does not appear at the time fixed by the investigator, and also if the place of location of the accused is not established, the charge shall be brought on the day of the actual appearance of the accused or on the day of his being brought forcibly on the condition that the investigator has provided for the participation of a counsel for the defence.

7. If the accused refuses to sign the resolution, the investigator shall make in it the corresponding entry.

8. The investigator shall hand in to the accused and to his counsel for the defence a copy of the resolution on taking the given person to the bar in the capacity of defendant.

9. A copy of the resolution on taking the person to the bar in the capacity of defendant shall be directed to the public prosecutor.

Article 173. Interrogation of the Accused

1. The investigator shall interrogate the accused immediately after the charge is brought against him, while observing the demands of Item 9 of the fourth part of Article 47 and of the third part of Article 50 of the present Code.

2. At the beginning of the interrogation, the investigator shall find out whether the accused recognizes himself as being guilty, whether he wishes to give evidence on the merits of the charge brought against him and in what language. If the accused refuses to give evidence, the investigator shall make a corresponding entry into the protocol of his interrogation.

3. The interrogation shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure established by Article 189 of the present Code, with the exceptions laid down by the present Article.

4. A repeated interrogation of the accused on the same charge, if he has refused to give evidence at the first interrogation, may be conducted only at the request of the accused himself.

Article 174. Protocol of an Interrogation of the Accused

1. At every interrogation of the accused, the investigator shall compile a protocol with the observation of the demands of Article 190 of the present Code.

2. In the protocol of the first interrogation shall be pointed out the following data on the person of the accused:

3. In the protocols of the subsequent interrogations, the data on the person of the accused, unless they have changed, may be reduced to an indication of his surname, name and patronymic.

Article 175. Amendment and Extension of the Charge. Partial Termination of the Criminal Prosecution

1. If in the course of the preliminary investigation a ground arises for an amendment of the brought charge, the investigator, in conformity with Article 171 of the present Code, shall pass a new resolution on taking the person to the bar in the capacity of the defendant and shall present it to the accused in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 172 of the present Code.

2. If in the course of the preliminary investigation the brought charge has not been confirmed in any one of its parts, the investigator shall stop the criminal prosecution in the corresponding part by his resolution, about which the accused, his counsel for the defence and the public prosecutor shall be notified.

Chapter 24. Examination. Inspection. Investigative Experiment

Article 176. Grounds for an Examination

1. Examination of the place of accident, locality, place of dwelling, other premises, of the objects and the documents shall be aimed at revealing the traces of the crime and at elucidating other circumstances of importance for the criminal case.

2. In cases precluding a delay, an examination of the scene of the event may be performed before the institution of the criminal case.

Article 177. Procedure for an Examination

1. An examination shall be carried out with the participation of attesting witnesses, with the exception of the cases indicated in the third part of Article 170 of the present Code.

2. An examination of the traces of crimes and of the other exposed objects shall be performed at the place of performance of the investigative action, with the exception of the cases pointed out in the third part of this Article.

3. If for carrying out such an examination a long time is required, or if the examination on the scene is difficult, the objects shall be seized, packed, sealed and certified with the signatures of the investigator and of the attesting witnesses at the place of examination. Subject to the seizure shall be only those objects that may have a bearing on the criminal case. In the protocol of the examination shall be supplied, if possible, the individual characteristics and the specific features of the seized objects.

4. All the objects, exposed and seized during an examination, shall be presented to the attesting witnesses and to the other participants in the examination.

5. An examination of the living quarters shall be carried out only with the consent of the persons residing there, or on the ground of a court decision. If the persons, residing there, object to the examination, the investigator shall file a petition for the performance of an examination with the court in conformity with Article 165 of the present Code.

6. An examination of the living quarters shall be made in the presence of a representative of the administration of the corresponding organization. If it is impossible to make certain his participation in the examination, into the protocol shall be made an entry to this effect.

Article 178. External Examination of a Corpse. Exhumation

1. The investigator shall carry out an external examination of a corpse with the participation of attesting witnesses and of the forensic medical expert, and if the latter's presence is impossible of a doctor. If necessary, other specialists may also be invited for an examination of the corpse.

2. Unidentified corpses shall be subject to an obligatory photography and dactylography. The cremation of unidentified corpses shall be inadmissible.

3. If it is necessary to take a corpse out of the place of burial, the investigator shall pass a resolution on the exhumation and shall notify to this effect the close relatives or the relations of the deceased. The resolution shall be obligatory for the administration of the corresponding place of burial. If the close relatives or the relations of the deceased object to the exhumation, a permit for carrying it out shall be issued by the court.

4. The exhumation and the examination of the corpse shall be performed with the participation of the persons, pointed out in the first part of the present Article.

5. The outlays, involved in the exhumation and in the subsequent burial of the corpse, shall be recompensed to the relatives of the deceased in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Article 131 of the present Code.

Article 179. Inspection

1. For exposure of the specific features and traces of a crime on the person's body, as well as the bodily injuries, and also for an exposure of the state of drunkenness or of the other properties and characteristics of importance for the criminal case, if no forensic medical expertise is required for this, an inspection of the suspect, of the accused and of the victim may be effected, as well as of the witness with his consent, with the exception of the cases when such inspection is necessary for assessing the authenticity of his evidence.

2. The investigator shall pass a resolution on carrying out an inspection, which is obligatory for the inspected person.

3. The inspection shall be performed by the investigator. If necessary, the investigator may invite a doctor or another specialist to take part in the investigation.

4. The investigator shall not take part in the inspection of a person of the opposite sex, if such inspection is accompanied with the latter's stripping to nakedness. In this case, the inspection shall be performed by a doctor.

5. The photographing, the video recording and the cinema shooting in the cases, stipulated by the fourth part of this Article, shall be made only with the consent of the inspected person.

Article 180. Protocols of an Examination and of an Inspection

1. The protocols of an examination and of an inspection shall be compiled with the observation of the demands of this Article and of Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code.

2. In the protocols shall be described all the actions of the investigator, as well as everything that was exposed during the examination and/or the inspection, in the same sequence in which the examination and the inspection were carried out, and in that form in which it was found at the moment of the examination and of the inspection. In the protocols shall be enumerated and described all the objects, seized during the examination and/or the inspection.

3. In the protocols it shall also be pointed out at what time, in what weather and in what lighting the examination or the inspection was performed, what technical devices were applied and what results were obtained, what objects were seized and sealed, and with what kind of seal, and also where the corpse, or the objects of importance for the criminal case were forwarded after the examination.

Article 181. Investigative Experiment

To check up and to specify the data of importance for the criminal case, the investigator shall have the right to stage an investigative experiment by reproducing the actions, as well as the situation or the other circumstances of a certain event. In this way shall be verified the possibility of the comprehension of certain facts or of the performance of definite actions or of the occurrence of a certain event; the sequence of the event that has taken part and the mechanism of leaving the traces shall also be elucidated. Staging of an investigative experiment shall be admissible only if this does not create a threat to the health of the participating persons.

Chapter 25. Search. Seizure. Putting the Postal and Telegraph Messages under Arrest. Monitoring and Recording of Discussions

Article 182. Grounds and Procedure for Making a Search

1. Seen as a ground for making a search shall be the existence of sufficient data to believe that such and such person may keep in such and such place the instruments of crime, objects, documents and valuables which may prove to be of importance to the criminal case.

2. The search shall be performed on the ground of an investigator's resolution.

3. A search in the living quarters shall be effected on the ground of a court decision to be adopted in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Article 165 of the present Code.

4. Before the start of the search, the investigator shall present the resolution on its performance, and in the cases stipulated by the third part of the present Article - the court decision, permitting to make such.

5. Before the start of the search, the investigator shall suggest that the objects, the documents and the valuables, subject to the seizure, which may prove of importance for the criminal case, be given out voluntarily. If these are given out voluntarily and there are no grounds for an apprehension that they may be concealed, the investigator shall have the right not to perform the search.

6. When making a search, any premises may be forced into, if the owner refuses to open them voluntarily. In this case, no unnecessary damage shall be done to the property.

7. The investigator shall take measures to prevent laying bare the circumstances of the private life of the person, in whose living quarters the search was performed, his private and/or family secrets, as well as the circumstances of the private lives of other persons exposed during the search.

8. The investigator shall have the right to prohibit the persons present at the place where the search is carried out, to leave this place and to communicate with one another or with the other persons untill the end of the search.

9. While carrying out the search, the objects and the documents which not allowed for possession shall be seized by all means.

10. The seized objects, documents and valuables shall be presented to the attesting witnesses and to the other persons, present at the search, and if necessary, shall be packed and sealed at the scene of the search, which shall be certified with the signatures of the above-said persons.

11. When a search is performed the person whose premises are subjected to it or adult members of the family thereof shall take part. When a search is performed a counsel for the defence and also a lawyer of the person whose premises are subjected to it are entitled to be in attendance.

12. When making a search, a protocol shall be compiled in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code.

13. In the protocol shall be pointed out, in what place and under what circumstances the objects, the documents or the valuables were revealed, and whether they were issued of a free will or seized under coercion. All the seized objects, documents and valuables shall be listed, with a precise indication of their quantity, weight, individual features and, if possible, their cost.

14. If during the search attempts were made to destroy or concealthe objects, documents and valuables, subject to seizure, the corresponding entry to this effect shall be made in the protocol with an indication of the taken measures.

15. A copy of the protocol shall be handed in to the person, in whose living quarters the search was made, or to an adult member of his family. If the search was carried out in the premises of an organization, a copy of the protocol shall be handed in against his signature to a representative of the administration of the corresponding organization.

16. The search may also be aimed at finding the wanted persons and the corpses.

Article 183. Grounds and Procedure for Making a Seizure

1. If it is necessary to seize certain objects and documents of importance for the criminal case, and if it is known exactly where they are and who is keeping them, their seizure shall be performed.

2. The seizure shall be carried out in accordance with the order established by Article 182 of the present Code, with the exceptions stipulated by the present Article.

3. The seizure of objects and documents which contain state secrets or other kinds of secrets protected by federal law, shall be made by the investigator with the sanction of the public prosecutor.

4. The seizure of the documents, containing information on the deposits and the accounts of the citizens in the banks and in the other credit institutions, shall be effected on the ground of the court decision to be adopted in accordance with the procedure established by Article 165 of the present Code.

5. Before the start of the seizure, the investigator shall suggest that the objects and the documents, subject to the seizure, be given out voluntarily, and if the refusal follows, he shall make the seizure under coercion.

Article 184. Personal Search

1. If there are grounds for this, and in the procedure envisaged by the first and third parts of Article 182 of the present Code, a personal search of the suspect or of the accused shall be carried out to reveal and seize the objects and the documents which may prove to be of importance for the criminal case.

2. A personal search may be carried out in the absence of the corresponding resolution at the person's detention or putting into custody, and also if there are sufficient grounds to believe that the person, present at the premises or in another place where the search is being made, conceals on himself the objects or the documents, which may prove to be of importance to the criminal case.

3. The personal search of a person may be effected only by a person of the same sex and in the presence of the attesting witnesses and the specialists of the same sex, if they are taking part in the given investigative action.

Article 185. Putting under Arrest Postal and Telegraph Dispatches, Their Examination and Seizure

1. If there are sufficient grounds to suppose that objects, documents or information of importance for the criminal case may be contained in postal parcels or in other mail and telegraph dispatches, respectively, or in telegrams or radiograms, these may be put under arrest.

2. Postal and telegraph dispatches shall be put under arrest, examined and seized at the communications offices on the grounds of a court decision to be passed in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 165 of the present Code.

3. In the investigator's petition for putting under arrest the postal and telegraph dispatches and for performing their examination and seizure shall be pointed out:

4. If the court adopts the decision on putting under arrest the postal and telegraph dispatches, its copy shall be directed to the corresponding communications office, which is ordered to detain the postal and telegraph dispatches and to immediately inform to this effect the investigator.

5. The examination, seizure and taking copies of the detained postal and telegraph dispatches shall be carried out at the corresponding communications office by the investigator with the participation of attesting witnesses from among the employees of the given office. If necessary, the investigator shall have the right to invite a specialist, as well as an interpreter for taking part in the examination and in the seizure of the postal and telegraph dispatches. In every case of examination of the postal and telegraph dispatches shall be compiled a protocol, in which it shall be pointed out by whom and what particular postal and telegraph dispatches were put under examination, were copied, forwarded to the address or detained.

6. The arrest of the postal and telegraph dispatches shall be cancelled by the investigator with an obligatory notification to this effect of the court, which has taken the decision on the arrest, and of the public prosecutor, when the need in this measure disappears, but not later than at the end of the preliminary inquisition on the given criminal case.

Article 186. Monitoring and Recording of Discussions

1. If there are sufficient grounds to suppose that telephone and other discussions of the suspect, of the accused or other persons may contain information of importance for the criminal case, their monitoring and recording shall be seen as admissible in the proceedings on the criminal cases on grave and especially grave crimes, on the grounds of a court decision to be adopted in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Article 165 of the present Code.

2. If there is a threat of the use of violence, extortion or other criminal actions with respect to the victim, to the witness or to their close relatives, relations and near persons, the monitoring and recording of telephone and other discussions shall be admissible upon a written application of said person, and if there is no such application - on the ground of a court decision.

3. In the public prosecutor's petition for the conducting of the monitoring and recording of telephone and other discussions shall be indicated:

4. The public prosecutor shall direct the resolution on the monitoring and recording of telephone and other discussions for execution to the corresponding body.

5. The monitoring and recording of telephone and other discussions may be established for a term of up to six months. It shall be ended at the public prosecutor's resolution, if the need in the given measure disappears, but not later than after completing the preliminary inquisition on the given criminal case.

6. The public prosecutor shall have the right, in the course of the entire term of the monitoring and recording of telephone and other discussions, to demand from the body performing them a phonogram for an examination and hearing. It shall be handed over to the investigator as sealed and accompanied with a letter, in which shall be pointed out the dates and the time of the start and of the end of recording said discussions, and a brief description of the applied technical devices.

7. On the results of the examination and the hearing of the phonogram, the investigator with the participation of the attesting witnesses and, if necessary, of the specialist, as well as of the persons whose telephone and other discussions have been recorded, shall compile a protocol; in this protocol shall be recorded word for word that part of the phonogram, which in the investigator's opinion has a bearing on the given criminal case. The persons who were taking part in the examination and in the hearing of the phonogram, shall have the right, in the same protocol or another, to formulate their own remarks on the protocol.

8. The phonogram shall be in full volume enclosed to the criminal case materials on the ground of the investigator's resolution as demonstrative proof and shall be kept sealed up under the conditions, precluding the possibility of the hearing and multiplying the phonogram by outsiders, and ensuring its safety and technical fitness for a repeated hearing, including that at a court session.

Chapter 26. Interrogation. Identification Line-Up. Identification. Verification of the Evidence

Article 187. Place and Time of an Interrogation

1. An interrogation shall be performed at the place of conducting the preliminary investigation. The investigator shall have the right, if he deems it necessary, to carry out an interrogation at the place of stay of the interrogated person.

2. An interrogation shall not be conducted for more than four hours running.

3. An interrogation shall be resumed after an interval of no less than one hour for a break and a meal; the total length of an interrogation in the course of one day shall not exceed eight hours.

4. If there exist some medical indications, the length of an interrogation shall be fixed on the ground of the doctor's conclusion.

Article 188. Procedure for the Summons to an Interrogation

1. The witness and the victim shall be summoned for an interrogation by a writ, in which it shall be pointed out who and in what capacity is summoned, to whom and at what address, the date and the hour appointed for the appearance at an interrogation, and the consequences of the failure to appear without a serious reason.

2. The writ shall be handed in to the person, who is summoned for an interrogation, against his signature, or it shall be forwarded to him with the use of the means of communication. If the person, summoned for an interrogation, is temporarily absent, the writ shall be given to an adult member of his family or shall be passed to the administration at the place of his work or, on the investigator's orders, to the other persons and organizations, who (which) shall be obliged to hand the writ over to the person, summoned for an interrogation.

3. The person, who is summoned for an interrogation, shall be obliged to come at the appointed time, or to notify the investigator in advance about the reasons for his being unable to come. If he fails to appear without any serious reasons, the person, summoned for an interrogation, may be brought forcibly, or towards him may be applied other measures of the procedural coercion, stipulated by Article 111 of the present Code.

4. A person who has not reached 16 years of age, shall be summoned for an interrogation through his legal representative or through the administration at the place of his work or studies. A different procedure for the summons for an interrogation shall be admissible only if this is called forth by the criminal case circumstances.

5. A serviceman shall be summoned for an interrogation through the command of the military unit.

Article 189. General Rules for Conducting an Interrogation

1. Before an interrogation, the investigator shall fulfil the demands, stipulated by the fifth part of Article 164 of the present Code. If the investigator begins to doubt whether the interrogated person has a good command of the language in which the proceedings on the criminal case is conducted, he shall be obliged to find out in what language the interrogated person would prefer to give evidence.

2. It is inadmissible to give leading the questions to the interrogated person. Apart from this the investigator is free to select any tactics of interrogation.

3. The person under interrogation shall have the right to make use of documents and notes.

4. At the initiative of the investigator or at the request of the interrogated person, in the course of the interrogation may be performed the photographing, the audio and video recording and the cinema shooting, the materials of which shall be kept in the criminal case and shall be sealed after completing the preliminary investigation.

5. If the witness has come to an interrogation with a lawyer he has invited for giving him legal advice, the lawyer shall be present at the interrogation, and shall enjoy the rights provided for by Part Two of Article 53 of this Code. After the end of the interrogation, the lawyer shall have the right to make statements on the violations of the rights and the lawful interests of the witness. These statements shall be entered into the protocol of the interrogation.

Article 190. Protocol of an Interrogation

1. The process and the results of an interrogation shall be reflected in a protocol to be compiled in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code.

2. The testimony of the interrogated person shall be written down as rendered in the first person and, if possible, word for word. The questions and the answers to them shall be written down in that sequence, which was observed in the course of the interrogation. Into the protocol shall be entered all the questions, including those rejected by the investigator and those to which the interrogated person has refused to answer, with an indication of the reasons behind the rejection or the refusal.

3. If in the course of the interrogation, the witness was presented with demonstrative proof and documents, protocols of other investigative actions or materials of audio and/or video recording or cinema shooting of the investigative actions, the corresponding entry shall be made about this in the protocol of the interrogation. In the protocol shall also be reflected the evidence of the interrogated person, which he gave after this.

4. If in the course of the interrogation were carried out the photographing, the audio and/or video recording and the cinema shooting, the protocol shall also contain:

5. The interrogated person shall have the right in the course of the interrogation to prepare maps, drafts, drawings and diagrams, which shall be enclosed to the protocol, about which the corresponding note shall be made in it.

6. After the end of the interrogation, the protocol shall be submitted to the interrogated person for reading, or it shall be read for him at his request by the investigator, about which the corresponding note shall be made in the protocol. The interrogated person's petition for an addition to be made to, and on the specification of the protocol shall by all means be satisfied.

7. In the protocol shall be named all the persons, who have participated in the interrogation. Every one of them shall be obliged to sign the protocol, as well as all the addenda and the specifications made in it.

8. The interrogated person shall certify the fact of getting acquainted with the evidence and the correctness of its recording with his signature, to be put at the end of the protocol. The interrogated person shall also sign every sheet of the protocol.

9. Refusal to sign the protocol of the interrogation or the impossibility to sign it on the part of the persons who have taken part in the interrogation, shall be certified in the order, established by Article 167 of the present Code.

Article 191. Specifics in an Interrogation of a Minor Victim or Witness

1. The interrogation of a victim or witness, aged less than fourteen years of age, and at the investigator's discretion also an interrogation of the victim or of the witness, aged from fourteen to eighteen years of age, shall be conducted with the participation of a pedagogue. At the interrogation of a minor victim or witness his legal representative shall also have the right to attend.

2. Victims and witnesses, aged less than sixteen years, shall not be warned about their liability for refusal to give evidence and for giving a deliberately false evidence. When explaining to the said victims and witnesses their procedural rights, stipulated by Articles 42 and 56 of the present Code, respectively, the necessity to tell the truth shall be pointed out to them.

Article 192. Identification Line-Up

1. If there are essential contradictions in the testimony of earlier interrogated persons, the investigator shall have the right to carry out an identification line-up. An identification line-up shall be carried out in conformity with Article 164 of the present Code.

2. The investigator shall find out from the persons, between whom an identification line-up is carried out, whether they know each other and what is their relationship. The interrogated persons shall be suggested to give evidence on the circumstances, for the sake of whose elucidation the identification line-up is being conducted, in turn. After the evidence is given, the investigator may put questions to every one of the interrogated persons. The persons, between whom the line-up is carried out, may also put questions to one another with the investigator's permission.

3. The investigator shall have the right to present demonstrative proof and documents in the course of the identification line-up.

4. A declaration of the interrogated persons' testimony, contained in the protocols of the previous interrogations, as well as the reproduction of the audio and/or video recording and of the cinema shooting shall be admissible only after the said persons have given evidence, or after they have refused to give evidence at the identification line-up.

5. The evidence of the interrogated persons shall be written in the protocol of the identification line-up in the same sequence as it was given. Each interrogated person shall sign his own evidence, every sheet of the protocol and the protocol as a whole.

6. If a witness appears for a confrontation accompanied by a lawyer invited by him/her for rendering legal aid, the lawyer shall participate in the confrontation and shall enjoy the rights provided for by Part Two of Article 53 of this Code.

Article 193. Presenting for an Identification

1. The investigator may present for an identification the person or the object to the witness, to the victim, to the suspect or to the accused. A corpse may also be presented for an identification.

2. The identifying persons shall be at first interrogated about the circumstances, under which they have seen the person or the object, presented for an identification, as well as about the features and the specific characteristics, by which they can identify these.

3. A repeated identification of a person or of an object by the same identifying person and by the same features shall be inadmissible.

4. The person shall be presented for an identification together with the other persons, if possible, of a similar appearance. The total number of the persons, presented for an identification, shall not be less than three. This rule shall not be spread to the identification of a corpse. Before the start of the identification, the person being identified shall be offered to occupy any place he likes among the other presented persons, about which the corresponding entry shall be made in the protocol of identification.

5. If it is impossible to present the person, the identification may be carried out by his photograph, to be presented among the photographs of other persons, having a similar appearance to the identified person. The number of the photographs shall not be less than three.

6. An object shall be presented for an identification in a group of homogeneous objects, not less than three in number. If it is impossible to present the object, its identification shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure, established in the fifth part of this Article.

7. If the identifying person has pointed to one of the persons presented to him, or to one of the presented objects, the identifying person shall be requested to explain, by what characteristic features or peculiarities he has identified the given person or object. To ask him leading questions shall be inadmissible.

8. For the purpose of ensuring the security of the identifying person, the presentation of the person for an identification may be carried out, at the investigator's decision, under the conditions, precluding the visual observation of the identifying person by the identified one. In this case, the attesting witnesses shall also be placed at the side of the identifying person.

9. After the identification is completed, a protocol shall be compiled in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code. In the protocol shall be indicated the conditions and the results of the identification; the explanations, provided by the identifying person, shall be reflected, if possible, word for word. If the presentation of the person for an identification has taken place under the conditions, precluding the visual observation of the identifying person by the identified one, this shall also be reflected in the protocol.

Article 194. Verification of the Evidence on the Spot

1. To establish the new circumstances of importance for the criminal case, the evidence, given at an earlier date by the suspect or by the accused, as well as by the victim or by the witness, may be verified or specified at the place connected with the investigated event.

2. Verification of the evidence on the spot shall amount to the procedure, during which the earlier interrogated person reproduces on the spot the situation and the circumstances of the investigated event, points out the objects, the documents and the traces of importance for the criminal case, and demonstrates certain actions. Any outside interference with the process of verification or any leading questions shall be inadmissible.

3. A simultaneous verification on the spot of the evidence of several persons shall be inadmissible.

4. The verification of the testimony shall be started with the suggestion that the person show the place where his testimony is going to be verified. After he freely tells the story and demonstrates the actions, the person, whose evidence is being checked up, may be asked questions.

Chapter 27. Carrying Out a Court Examination

Article 195. Procedure for the Appointment of a Court Examination

1. Having recognized the need for the appointment of a court examination, the investigator shall pass a resolution to this effect, and in the cases envisaged by Item 3 of the second part of Article 29 of the present Code, he shall file a petition with the court, in which he shall point out:

2. The court examination shall be carried out by the state legal expert from among the persons, possessing the special knowledge.

3. The investigator shall acquaint the suspect, the accused and his counsel for the defence with the resolution on the appointment of a court examination and shall explain to them their rights, stipulated by Article 198 of the present Code. About this shall be compiled a protocol, which shall be signed by the investigator and by the persons he has informed about the resolution.

4. The court examination with respect to the victim, with the exception of the cases, stipulated by Items 2, 4 and 5 of Article 196 of the present Code, as well as with respect to the witness, shall be carried out with their consent or with the consent of their legal representatives, which shall be given by the said persons in writing.

Article 196. Obligatory Appointment of a Court Examination

An appointment and the performance of a court examination shall be obligatory, if it is necessary to establish:

Article 197. Investigator's Presence at the Performance of a Court Examination

1. The investigator shall have the right to be present at the performance of a court examination and to receive the expert's explanations about the actions the latter is carrying out.

2. The fact of the investigator's presence in the performance of a court examination shall be reflected in the expert's conclusion.

Article 198. Rights of the Suspect, the Accused, the Victim and of the Witness in an Appointment and the Performance of a Court Examination

1. If a court examination is appointed and carried out, the suspect, the accused and his counsel for the defence shall have the right:

2. The witness and the victim, with respect to whom the court examination was carried out, shall have the right to get acquainted with the expert's conclusion. The victim shall also enjoy the rights, stipulated by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of this Article.

Article 199. Procedure for Forwarding the Criminal Case Materials for Carrying Out a Court Examination

1. If a court examination is to be carried out at an expert institution, the investigator shall direct to the head of the corresponding expert institution the resolution on the appointment of the court examination and the materials necessary for its performance.

2. After receiving the resolution, the head of the expert institution shall entrust the carrying out of the court examination to a concrete expert or to several experts from among the workers of this institution and shall notify about this the investigator. While doing this, the head of the expert institution, with the exception of the head of the state forensic expert institution, shall explain to the expert his rights and responsibility, stipulated by Article 57 of the present Code.

3. The head of the expert institution shall have the right to return the resolution on the appointment of a court examination and the materials submitted for its performance without execution, if in the given institution there is no expert of the concrete profile, or if there are no special conditions required for carrying out the necessary studies, while pointing out the motives, on account of which this return is effected.

4. If the court examination is performed outside the expert institution, the investigator shall hand over the resolution and the necessary materials to the expert and shall explain to him his rights and responsibility, stipulated by Article 57 of the present Code.

5. The expert shall have the right to return the resolution without execution, if the supplied materials are insufficient for the performance of the court examination, or if he thinks that the knowledge he possesses is inadequate for carrying it out.

Article 200. Commission Court Examination

1. A commission court examinationshall be carried out by at least two experts of the same speciality. The commission character of an expertise shall be determined by the investigator or by the head of the expert institution which is ordered to perform the court examination.

2. If the experts' opinions on the results of the carried out studies on the raised questions coincide, they shall compile a single conclusion. If there arise a difference of opinions, every expert who has taken part in the performance of the court examination, shall give out a separate conclusion on the questions which have caused the difference of opinions.

Article 201. Complex Court Examination

1. A court examination, in the performance of which the experts of different specialities are taking part, shall be seen as a complex one.

2. In the conclusion of the experts, participating in the performance of a complex court examination, it shall be pointed out what studies and in what volume have been conducted by every expert, what facts he has established and at what conclusions he has arrived. Every expert, who has taken part in the performance of a complex court examination, shall sign that part of the conclusion, which contains a description of the studies he has carried out, and shall be held responsible for this part.

Article 202. Receiving Samples for a Comparative Study

1. The investigator shall have the right to receive the samples of the handwriting and the other samples for a comparative study from the suspect and from the accused, as well as from the witness or from the victim, if there has arisen the need to verify whether they have left traces at a certain place or on the demonstrative proof, and to compile a protocol in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code, with the exception of the demand for the participation of attesting witnesses.

2. In obtaining the samples for a comparative study, the methods presenting a threat to the life and health of a person or humiliating his honour and dignity, shall not be applied.

3. The investigator shall pass a resolution on the receipt of the samples for a comparative study. If necessary, the samples shall be obtained with the participation of specialists.

4. If the receipt of the samples for a comparative study is a part of a court examination, this shall be performed by the expert. In this case, the expert shall reflect information on the performance of the said action in his conclusion.

Article 203. Placement into a Medical or Psychiatric Stationary Hospital for Carrying Out a Court Examination

1. If in case of an appointment of the forensic-medical or of the forensic-psychiatric expertise the need arises for a stationary examination of the suspect or of the accused, he may be placed into a medical or a psychiatric stationary hospital.

2. The suspect or the accused, who is not held in custody, shall be placed into a medical or into a psychiatric stationary hospital for carrying out the forensic-medical or the forensic-psychiatric expertise on the ground of the court decision to be adopted in the order, stipulated by Article 165 of the present Code.

3. If the suspect or the accused is placed into a psychiatric stationary hospital for the performance of the forensic-psychiatric expertise, the term within which against him shall be brought the charge in conformity with Article 172 of the present Code, shall be interrupted untill the receipt of the conclusion of the experts.

Article 204. Expert's Conclusion

1. In the expert's conclusion shall be pointed out:

2. If while carrying out the court examination the expert establishes the circumstances of importance for the criminal case about which no questions were raised before him, he shall have the right to mention these in his conclusion.

3. The materials, illustrating the expert's conclusion (the photographs, schemes, plans, etc.), shall be enclosed to the conclusion and shall be seen as its component part.

Article 205. Interrogation of the Expert

1. The investigator shall have the right, at his own initiative or at the petition from the persons, named in the first part of Article 206 of the present Code, to interrogate the expert for an elucidation of the conclusion he has issued. The expert's interrogation till he has given the conclusion shall be inadmissible.

2. The expert shall not be interrogated about the information he has obtained in connection with the performance of the court examination, if this has no bearing on the object of the court examination in question.

3. The protocol of the expert's interrogation shall be compiled in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code.

Article 206. Presentation of the Expert's Conclusion

1. The expert's conclusion or his communication on the impossibility of giving out the conclusion, as well as the protocol of the expert's interrogation shall be submitted by the investigator to the suspect, the accused and his counsel for the defence, to all of whom shall in this case be explained the right to file petitions for an appointment of an additional or a repeated court examination.

2. If the court examination was carried out at the petition of the victim or with respect to the victim and/or the witness, the expert's conclusion shall also be presented to them.

Article 207. Additional and Repeated Court Examinations

1. If the expert's conclusion is not sufficiently clear or full, and also if new questions have arisen with respect to the earlier studied circumstances of the criminal case, an additional court examination may be appointed, the carrying out of which shall be entrusted either to the same, or to another expert.

2. If any doubts arise as to the substantiation of the expert's conclusion, or if there exist contradictions in the conclusion of the expert or of the experts, a repeated examination may be appointed on the same questions, the performance of which shall be entrusted to another expert.

3. An additional and a repeated examination shall be appointed and carried out in conformity with Articles 195-205 of the present Code.

Chapter 28. Suspension and Resumption of the Preliminary Investigation

Article 208. Grounds, Procedure and Deadlines for the Suspension of the Preliminary Investigation

1. The preliminary investigation shall be suspended, if there exists one of the following grounds:

2. The investigator shall pass a resolution on the suspension of the preliminary investigation, a copy of which he shall direct to the public prosecutor.

3. If two or more accused are involved in the criminal case, while the grounds for the suspension do not concern all of them, the investigator shall have the right to set apart into a separate procedure and to suspend the criminal case with respect to some of the accused persons.

4. The preliminary investigation shall be suspended on the grounds, stipulated by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of the present Article, only after its time term expires. The preliminary investigation may also be suspended, on the grounds envisaged by Items 3 and 4 of the first part of the present Article, before an expiry of its term.

5. Until the preliminary investigation is suspended, the investigator shall perform all investigative actions, the performance of which is possible in the absence of the suspect or of the accused, and shall take measures for his search or for an identification of the person who has committed the crime.

Article 209. Investigator's Actions After Suspending the Preliminary Investigation

1. Having suspended the preliminary investigation, the investigator shall notify to this effect the victim and his representative, the civil claimant, the civil defendant or their representatives and shall simultaneously explain to them the order for filing an appeal against the given decision. If the preliminary investigation is suspended on the grounds, stipulated by Items 3 and 4 of the first part of Article 208 of the present Code, the suspect, the accused and his counsel for the defence shall also be informed about this.

2. After the suspension of the preliminary investigation, the investigator shall:

3. After the preliminary investigation is suspended, the performance of investigative actions shall be inadmissible.

Article 210. Search for the Suspect, the Accused

1. If the place of stay of the suspect, the accused is not known, the investigator shall entrust the search for him to the bodies of inquiry, about which he shall make a note in the resolution on the suspension of the preliminary investigation or shall adopt a separate resolution.

2. The search for the suspect, the accused may be announced both during the performance of the preliminary investigation and simultaneously with its suspension.

3. In the event of revealing the accused, he/she may be detained in the procedure established by Chapter 12 of this Code.

4. If there exist the grounds, mentioned in Article 97 of the present Code, with respect to the accused may be taken a measure of restriction. In the cases, stipulated by Article 108 of the present Code, a measure of restriction may be selected in the form of taking into custody.

Article 211. Resumption of the Suspended Preliminary Investigation

1. The preliminary investigation shall be resumed on the basis of the investigator's resolution after:

2. The suspended preliminary investigation may also be resumed on the basis of the resolution of the public prosecutor or of the head of the investigation department on account of the cancellation of the corresponding resolution of the investigator.

3. The suspect, the accused, his counsel for the defence, the victim and his representative, the civil claimant, the civil defendant and their representatives, as well as the public prosecutor shall be informed about the resumption of the preliminary investigation.

Chapter 29. Termination of a Criminal Case

Article 212. Grounds for the Termination of a Criminal Case and of the Criminal Prosecution

1. The criminal case and the criminal prosecution shall be terminated, if there exist the grounds stipulated by Articles 24-28 of the present Code.

2. If a criminal case is terminated on the grounds stipulated by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of Article 24 and by Item 1 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code, the investigator or the public prosecutor shall take measures, envisaged the measures for rehabilitating a person set out in Chapter 18 of the present Code.

Article 213. Resolution on the Termination of a Criminal Case and of the Criminal Prosecution

1. A criminal case shall be terminated in accordance with the resolution of the investigator, a copy of which shall be directed to the public prosecutor.

2. In the resolution shall be pointed out:

3. If in conformity with the present Code the termination of the criminal case is admissible only with the consent of the accused or of the victim, the existence of such consent shall be reflected in the resolution.

4. The investigator shall hand in or forward a copy of the resolution on the termination of the criminal case to the person, with respect to whom the criminal prosecution is terminated, to the victim, to the civil claimant and to the civil defendant. To the victim and to the civil defendant shall in this case be explained the right to lodge a claim by way of the civil court procedure, if the criminal case is terminated on the grounds, stipulated by Items 2 - 6 of the first part of Article 24, by Article 25, by Items 2 - 7 of the first part of Article 27 and by Article 28 of the present Code.

5. If the grounds for the termination of the criminal prosecution concern not all the suspects or the accused on the criminal case, the investigator shall pass the resolution in conformity with Article 27 of the present Code on the termination of the criminal prosecution with respect to the concrete person. In this case, the proceedings on the criminal case shall be continued.

Article 214. Cancelling the Resolution on Terminating a Criminal Case or the Criminal Prosecution

1. Having recognized the investigator's resolution on the termination of a criminal case or of the criminal prosecution as illegal or as ungrounded, the public prosecutor shall cancel it and shall resume the proceedings on the criminal case.

2. If the court recognizes the investigator's resolution on the termination of a criminal case or of the criminal prosecution as illegal or as ungrounded, it shall pass in the procedure stipulated by Article 125 of the present Code, the corresponding decision and shall direct it to the public prosecutor for execution.

3. The proceedings in compliance with Articles 413 and 414 of this Code in respect of a previously terminated criminal case may be resumed if the period of limitation for making a person criminally liable has not expired.

4. Decision on the resumption of the proceedings on the criminal case shall be brought to the knowledge of the persons, pointed out in the third part of Article 211 of the present Code.

Chapter 30. Forwarding a Criminal Case with the Conclusion of Guilt to the Prosecutor

Article 215. Completing a Preliminary Investigation with the Conclusion of Guilt

1. Having recognized that all investigative actions on the criminal case have been performed and the collected proof are sufficient for compiling the conclusion of guilt, the investigator shall notify to this effect the accused and shall explain to him his right, stipulated by Article 217 of the present Code, to get acquainted with all the materials of the criminal case both personally and with the assistance of the counsel for the defence and of his legal representative, about which a protocol shall be compiled in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code.

2. The public prosecutor shall notify about the end of the investigative actions the counsel for the defence and the legal representative of the accused, if these are taking part in the criminal case, as well as the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant and their representatives.

3. If the counsel for the defence and the legal representative of the accused or the representative of the victim, of the civil claimant or of the civil defendant cannot come for getting acquainted with the criminal case materials at the appointed time, the investigator shall put off this acquaintance for a term of not over five days.

4. If the counsel for the defence, selected by the accused, cannot come for getting acquainted with the criminal case materials, the investigator shall have the right, after an expiry of five days, to suggest to the accused that he select another counsel for the defence, or, on the ground of a petition from the accused, shall take measures for the attendance of another counsel for the defence. If the accused refuses the appointed counsel for the defence, the investigator shall have the right to present to him the criminal case materials for getting acquainted with them without the participation of the counsel for the defence, with the exception of the cases, when the participation of the counsel for the defence in the criminal case is obligatory in conformity with Article 51 of the present Code.

5. If the accused, who is not held in custody, does not come for getting acquainted with the criminal case materials or if he evades such acquaintance, the investigator shall compile the conclusion of guilt and shall direct the materials of the criminal case to the public prosecutor after an expiry of five days from the day of announcing the end of the investigative actions or from the day, when the other participants in the criminal court proceedings indicated in the second part of the present Article, have completed getting acquainted with the criminal case materials.

Article 216. Getting Acquainted with the Criminal Case Materials by the Victim, Civil Claimant, Civil Defendant and Their Representatives

1. Upon a petition from the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant and their representatives, the investigator shall acquaint these persons with the criminal case materials fully or in part. The civil claimant, the civil defendant or their representatives shall get acquainted with the criminal case materials in the part that concerns the civil claim.

2. The acquaintance shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 217 of the present Code.

Article 217. Getting Acquainted with the Criminal Case Materials by the Accused and by His Counsel for the Defence

1. After fulfilling the demands of Article 216 of the present Code, the investigator shall present to the accused and to his counsel for the defence the sewn-up and enumerated materials of the criminal case, with the exception of the cases, envisaged by the ninth part of Article 166 of the present Code. For such acquaintance shall also be submitted the demonstrative proof and, at the request of the accused or of his counsel for the defence, the photographs, the audio and/or video recordings, the cinema shootings and the other enclosures to the protocols of the investigative actions. Where it is impossible to present exhibits, the investigator shall render a decision on it. Upon a petition from the accused and from his counsel for the defence, the investigator shall provide for them an opportunity to get acquainted with the criminal case materials separately. If several accused are involved in the proceedings on the criminal case, the sequence of presenting the criminal case materials to them and to their counsels for the defence shall be established by the public prosecutor.

2. In the process of getting acquainted with the criminal case materials consisting of several volumes, the accused and his counsel for the defence shall have the right to turn to any one volume of the criminal case repeatedly, to write out any information and in any volume, and also to take the copies of the documents, including with the use of technical devices. The copies of the documents and the excerpts from the criminal case, in which is contained the information presenting the state or other kinds of secrets protected by the federal law, shall be kept in the criminal case file and shall be submitted to the accused and to his counsel for the defence during the court proceedings.

3. The accused and his counsel for the defence cannot be restricted in the time necessary for familiarization with the materials of the criminal case. If the accused held in custody and his/her counsel clearly temporize the familiarization with the criminal case materials, then on the basis of the judicial decision rendered in the procedure established by Article 125 of this Code there shall be fixed a definite term for familiarization with the materials of the criminal case. If the accused and his/her counsel have not familiarized themselves with the materials of the criminal case within the time period fixed by the court without sound reasons for doing so, the investigator shall be entitled to decide on termination of the given procedural action, and in this respect the investigator shall render an appropriate decision and shall make a note of it in the record of familiarization of the accused and of his/her defense counsel with the materials of the criminal case.

4. After the accused and his counsel for the defence have completed their acquaintance with the criminal case materials, the investigator shall find out what kind of petitions or other applications they are going to file. In this case, it shall also be found out from the accused and from his counsel for the defence, what witnesses, experts and specialists shall be summoned to the court session for an interrogation and for the confirmation of the position of the party of the defence.

5. The investigator shall explain to the accused his right to file a petition:

Article 218. Protocol of Getting Acquainted with the Criminal Case Materials

1. After the accused and his counsel for the defence have completed getting acquainted with the criminal case materials, the investigator shall compile a protocol in conformity with Articles 166 and 167 of the present Code. In the protocol shall be pointed out the dates of the start and the end of getting acquainted with the criminal case materials, the filed petitions and the other applications.

2. Into the protocol shall be made an entry on the fact of explaining to the accused his right, stipulated by the fifth part of Article 217 of the present Code, and shall be reflected his desire to avail himself of this right or to refuse it.

Article 219. Resolving a Petition

1. If the petition lodged by one of the participants in the criminal case proceedings, is satisfied, the investigator shall make an addendum to the criminal case materials, which shall not interfere with getting acquainted with the criminal case materials by other participants.

2. After the end of carrying out additional investigative actions, the investigator shall notify to this effect the persons, named in the first part of Article 216 and in the first part of Article 217 of the present Code, and shall provide for them an opportunity to get acquainted with the additional materials of the criminal case.

3. If the satisfaction of the filed petition is refused fully or in part, the investigator shall pass a resolution to this effect, which shall be brought to the applicant's knowledge. In this case, to the latter shall be explained the order for filing an appeal against the given resolution.

Article 220. Conclusion of Guilt

1. In the conclusion of guilt, the investigator shall point out:

2. The conclusion of guilt shall contain references to the volumes and the sheets of the criminal case.

3. The conclusion of guilt shall be signed by the investigator with an indication of the place and the date of compiling it.

4. To the conclusion of guilt shall be enclosed the list of the persons to be summoned to the court session on the side of the accusation and on the side of the defence, with an indication of their place of residence and/or of their actual place of stay.

5. To the conclusion of guilt shall also be enclosed a reference note on the time terms of the investigation, on the selected measures of restriction with an indication of the time of being kept in custody and under the home arrest, on the demonstrative proof, on the civil claim, on the measures launched to provide for the civil claim and for the probable confiscation of the property, and on the procedural outlays, and if the accused or the victim has dependents - on the measures taken to guarantee their rights. In the reference note shall be pointed out the corresponding sheets of the criminal case.

6. After the investigator has signed the conclusion of guilt, the criminal case shall be immediately forwarded to the public prosecutor. In the cases envisaged by Article 18 of the present Code, the investigator shall provide for a translation of the conclusion of guilt.

Chapter 31. Prosecutor's Actions and Decisions on a Criminal Case, Resulting in a Conclusion of Guilt

Article 221. Public Prosecutor's Decision on the Criminal Case

1. The public prosecutor shall consider the criminal case with the arrived conclusion of guilt and shall take on it within five days one of the following decisions:

2. The public prosecutor shall have the right:

3. Having established that the investigator has violated the demands of the fifth part of Article 109 of the present Code, while the ultimate term for holding the accused in custody has expired, the public prosecutor shall change the given measure of restriction.

4. In the cases stipulated by Items 2-4 of the first part and by the second and the third parts of this Article, the public prosecutor shall pass the corresponding resolution.

Article 222. Forwarding the Criminal Case to the Court

1. After endorsing the bill of indictment the prosecutor shall forward the criminal case to a court of law and shall notify the accused, his/her counsel, the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant and/or representatives thereof of it explaining to them their right to lodge a petition for holding a preliminary hearing in the procedure established by Chapter 15 of this Code.

2. A copy of the bill of indictment with annexes thereto shall be handed to the accused by the prosecutor. Copies of the bill of indictment shall be likewise handed to the defence counsel and to the victim, if they petition for such.

3. If the accused is kept in custody, a copy of the bill of indictment with annexes thereto shall be handed to him on the instructions of the prosecutor by the administration of the place of detention against his/her receipt which shall be presentable to the court with an indication of the time and date of its delivery.

4. If the accused refuses to accept a copy of the bill of indictment, or has not appeared, when summoned, or has avoided receiving a copy of the bill of indictment in any other way, the prosecutor shall forward the criminal case to the court with an indication of the reasons why a copy of the bill of indictment has not been handed to the accused.

Chapter 32. The Inquest

Article 223. Procedure and Term for the Inquiry

1. The preliminary investigation in the form of an inquiry shall be performed in accordance with the procedure established by Chapters 21, 22 and 24-29 of the present Code, with the exemptions set out in the present chapter.

2. The inquiry shall be carried out on the criminal cases specified in Part 3 of Article 150 of the present Code when criminal action is brought in respect of specific persons.

3. The inquiry shall be completed within twenty days after the date when criminal action was brought. The term may be extended by the prosecutor by up to ten days.

Article 224. Specifics in the Selection of Taking into Custody as a Measure of Restriction

1. With respect to the person, suspected of committing a crime, the inquirer shall have the right to lodge with the court, with the public prosecutor's consent, a petition on selecting the measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody in accordance with the procedure established by Article 108 of the present Code.

2. If with respect to the accused was selected the measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody, the bill of indictment shall be compiled not later than ten days from the day of taking the suspect into custody.

3. If it is impossible to compile the bill of indictment within the term envisaged by the second part of the present Article, the charge shall be brought against the suspect in accordance with the procedure established by Chapter 23 of the present Code, or the given measure of restriction shall be cancelled.

Article 225. Bill of Indictment

1. After he has completed the inquest, the inquirer shall compile the bill of indictment, in which shall be indicated:

2. The accused and his counsel for the defence shall be acquainted with indictment and the materials of the criminal case, about which a note shall be entered into the protocol of getting acquainted with the criminal case materials.

3. To the victim or his representative at his request may be presented for getting acquainted with indictment and the materials of the criminal case in the same procedure that is established by the second part of this Article for the accused and for his counsel for the defence.

4. An indictment drawn up by the inquirer shall be approved by the chief of the inquiry body. The criminal case materials together with the indictment shall be forwarded to the prosecutor.

Article 226. Public Prosecutor's Decision on the Criminal Case That Has Come In with the Bill of Indictment

1. The public prosecutor shall consider the criminal case that has arrived with the bill of indictment and shall take on it within two days one of the following decisions:

2. While approving the bill of indictment, the public prosecutor shall have the right by his own resolution to remove from it the individual points of accusation, or to requalify the charge into a less grave one.

3. A copy of a bill of indictment with annexes thereto shall be handed in to the accused, his/her defence counsel and the victim in the procedure established by Article 222 of this Code.

Part Three. Court Proceedings

Section IX. Proceedings in a Court of the First Instance

Chapter 33. General Procedure of Preparation for a Court Session

Article 227. Judge's Powers in a Criminal Case Which Has Come to the Court

1. The judge shall take on the criminal case, which has arrived at the court, one of the following decisions:

2. The judge's decision shall be formalized in a resolution, in which shall be pointed out:

3. The decision shall be taken within a time term of not later than 30 days after the day of the criminal case coming to the court. If the court accepts a criminal case with respect to an accused who is held in custody, the judge shall be obliged to take the decision within a term of no more than 14 days after the day or arrival of the criminal case at the court. On the request of a party the court is entitled to provide it with an opportunity to additionally familiarise itself with the criminal case materials.

4. A copy of the judge's resolution shall be directed to the accused, to the victim and to the public prosecutor.

Article 228. Questions to Be Clarified on the Criminal Case Which Has Arrived at the Court

On the criminal case which has come in to the court, the judge shall find out the following with respect to every one of the accused:

Article 229. Grounds for Conducting a Preliminary Hearing

1. If there exist the grounds, mentioned in the second part of this Article, the court shall conduct a preliminary hearing at the petition of a party or at its own initiative, in accordance with the procedure, stipulated by Chapter 34 of the present Code.

2. A preliminary hearing shall be conducted:

3. The petition for conducting a preliminary hearing may be lodged by a party after it has got acquainted with the criminal case materials or after the criminal case with the conclusion of guilt or with the bill of indictment has been sent to the court, within three days after the day when the accused received a copy of the conclusion of guilt or of the bill of indictment.

Article 230. Measures to Provide for a Civil Claim and for a Probable Confiscation of the Property

Upon a petition from the victim, from the civil claimant or their representatives, or from the public prosecutor, the judge shall have the right to pass a resolution on taking measures to provide for the recompense of the damage inflicted by the crime, or for a probable confiscation of the property. Execution of the given resolution shall be imposed upon the officers of the law.

Article 231. Appointment of a Court Session

1. In the absence of the grounds for taking decisions, envisaged in Items 1 and 2 of the first part of Article 227 of the present Code, the judge shall pass a resolution on the appointment of a court session without carrying out a preliminary hearing.

2. In addition to those envisaged by the second part of Article 227 of the present Code, in the resolution shall be resolved the following questions:

3. In the resolution shall also be contained decisions on the details of the court session with an indication of the surname, name and patronymic of every accused and of the qualification of the crime incriminated to them, as well as of the measure of restraint.

4. The parties shall be notified about the place, day and hour of the court session not later than five days prior to its start.

5. After appointing a court session the accused shall be entitled to file petitions for the following:

Article 232. Summons to a Court Session

The judge shall give orders on the summons to a court session of the persons, named in his resolution, and shall take other measures, aimed at preparing the court session.

Article 233. Time Term for the Start of the Proceedings in a Court Session

1. Examination of a criminal case in a court session shall be started not later than within 14 days from the day of the judge passing the resolution on an appointment of the court session, and as concerns the criminal cases considered by a court with the participation of jurors - not later than within 30 days.

2. Consideration of a criminal case in a court session cannot be started earlier than seven days from the day of handing in a copy of the conclusion of guilt or of the bill of indictment to the accused.

Chapter 34. Preliminary Hearing

Article 234. Procedure for Conducting a Preliminary Hearing

1. A preliminary hearing shall be conducted by the judge on his own in a closed session with the participation of the parties, while observing the demands of Chapters 33, 35 and 36 of the present Code with the exceptions, established by the present Chapter.

2. A notification on the summons of the parties to a court session shall be forwarded at least three days before the day of conducting the preliminary hearing.

3. Upon a petition from the accused, a preliminary hearing may be carried out in his absence.

4. The non-appearance of the other timely notified participants in the procedure on the criminal case shall not be seen as an obstacle to conducting a preliminary hearing.

5. If a party has lodged a petition for the exclusion of proof, the judge shall find out from another party whether it has objections against the given petition. If there are no objections, the judge shall satisfy the petition and shall pass a resolution on an appointment of a court session, unless there exist other grounds for conducting a preliminary hearing.

Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 13-P of June 29, 2004 recognized the sixth part of Article 234 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation as not corresponding to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to its Articles 45 (Part 2), 46 (Part 1) and 49 (Part 2), in a measure, in which the norm, contained in it, precludes the possibility of the satisfaction by the court of a petition, filed by the party of defence for the summons of a witness for establishing the defendant's alibi, if such was not filed in the course of the preliminary investigation and was not rejected by the inquestor, the investigator or the public prosecutor 6. A petition from the party of the defence for the summons of a witness for establishing an alibi for the accused shall be satisfied only if it was entered in the course of the preliminary inquisition and was rejected by the inquirer, by the investigator or by the public prosecutor. The given petition may also be satisfied, if the existence of such witness became known after the preliminary inquisition was completed.

7. The petition of the party of the defence for demanding additional proof or objects shall be subject to satisfaction, if the given proof and objects are of importance to the criminal case.

Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 13-P of June 29, 2004 recognized the eighth part of Article 234 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation as not contradicting the Constitution of the Russian Federation, since in accordance with its legal constitutional meaning in interconnection with the other norms of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, it does not preclude the possibility of an interrogation of the persons, endowed with the witness immunity, about the circumstances of conducting the investigative actions or about the withdrawal from and the enclosure to the criminal case of the documents, under the condition that they give the consent to this

8. At the parties' petition, interrogated as witnesses may be any persons who know something about the circumstances of the performance of the investigative actions or of the seizure and the enclosure to the criminal case materials of the documents, with the exception of the persons, enjoying the witness immunity.

9. In the course of the preliminary hearing, a protocol shall be kept.

Article 235. Petition for Excluding Proof

1. The parties shall have the right to enter a petition for the exclusion of any one proof from the list of proof, presented during the judicial proceedings. If a petition is filed, its copy shall be handed over to the other party on the day when the petition was lodged with the court.

2. A petition for the exclusion of a proof shall contain an indication of:

3. The judge shall have the right to interrogate a witness and to enclose to the criminal case the document, mentioned in the petition. If one of the parties objects to an exclusion of the proof, the judge shall have the right to announce the protocols of the investigative actions and the other documents, kept in the criminal case and/or submitted by the parties.

4. When considering a petition on the exclusion of a proof, entered by the party of the defence on the ground that the proof was obtained with a violation of the demands of the present Code, the burden of refutation of the arguments, put forth by the party of the defence, shall rest with the public prosecutor. All other cases, the burden of proving shall rest with the party which has lodged the petition.

5. If the court has taken the decision on the exclusion of proof, the given proof shall lose its legal force and cannot be laid into the foundation of the sentence or of another court judgement, or be studied and made use of in the course of the judicial proceedings.

6. If the criminal case is examined by a court with the participation of jurors, the parties or the other participants in the court session shall have no right to inform the jurors about the existence of proof that has been excluded by the decision of the court.

7. When considering the criminal case on the merits, the court shall have the right, upon a petition from a party, to once again examine the question about recognizing the excluded proof to be admissible.

Article 236. Kinds of Decisions Taken by the Judge at a Preliminary Hearing

1. By the results of the preliminary hearing, the judge shall take one of the following decisions:

2. The judge's decision shall be formalized with a resolution in conformity with the demands of the second part of Article 227 of the present Code.

3. In the resolution shall be reflected the results of an examination of the lodged petitions and complaints.

4. If the judge satisfies the petition on an exclusion of a proof and appoints a court session, in the resolution shall be indicated what particular proof is excluded and what materials of the criminal case, substantiating the exclusion of the given proof, cannot be studied and read out in the court session and made use of in the course of the proving.

5. If in the course of the preliminary hearing the public prosecutor changes the charge, the judge shall also reflect this in the resolution and in the cases, envisaged by the present Code, he shall send over the criminal case to where it belongs in accordance with the jurisdiction.

6. If in dealing with the petition, filed by the accused for giving him time for getting acquainted with the materials of the criminal case, the court establishes that the demands of the fifth part of Article 109 of the present Code are violated and that the ultimate term of holding the accused in custody in the course of the preliminary investigation has expired, the court shall change the measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody, shall satisfy the petition of the accused and shall fix for him a time term for his getting acquainted with the criminal case materials.

According to Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 18-p of December 8, 2003, the seventh part of Article 236 of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation has no legal force as from the moment of the adoption and is not subject to application as containing the regulation, recognized by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation at an earlier stage as not corresponding to the Constitution of the Russian Federation

7. A judicial decision rendered on the basis of the results of a preliminary hearing shall not be subject to appeal, save for decisions on the termination of a criminal case and/or on the appointment of a court session, insofar as the resolution of the issue of the measure of restraint is concerned.

Article 237. Sending a Criminal Case Back to the Public Prosecutor

1. The judge shall return a criminal case to the public prosecutor for eliminating the obstacles to its examination by the court upon a petition from a party or at its own initiative, in the cases, if:

2. In the cases envisaged by the first part of this Article, the judge shall oblige the public prosecutor to provide for an elimination of the committed violations within five days.

3. If the criminal case is returned to the public prosecutor, the judge shall resolve the question of the measure of restriction with respect to the accused.

Resolution of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation No. 18-p of December 8, 2003 recognised the fourth part of Article 237 of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation as not corresponding to the Constitution of the Russian Federation

4. The commission of any investigative or other procedural actions in respect of a criminal case returned by a prosecutor, which are not provided for by this Article, shall not be allowable.

5. The evidence obtained on the expiry of the procedural time fixed by Part Two of this Article or in the course of the procedural actions, which are not provided for by this Article, shall be deemed inadmissible.

Article 238. Suspension of Criminal Court Proceedings

1. The judge shall pass a resolution on the suspension of the proceedings on a criminal case, if:

2. In the case envisaged by Item 1 of the first part of this Article, the judge shall suspend the proceedings on the criminal case and, if the accused has escaped from custody, shall return the criminal case to the public prosecutor and order that the latter provide for the search of the accused or, if the escape was performed by an accused who was at large, shall appoint a measure of restriction in the form of taking into custody and order to the public prosecutor to provide for a search for him.

Article 239. Termination of a Criminal Case or of the Criminal Prosecution

1. In the cases, mentioned in Items 3 - 6 of the first part and second part of Article 24 and in Items 3 - 6 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code, as well as if the public prosecutor renounces the charge in the order established by the seventh part of Article 246 of the present Code, the judge shall pass a resolution on the termination of the criminal case.

2. The judge may also terminate a criminal case if there exist sufficient grounds, indicated in Articles 25 and 28 of the present Code, upon a petition from one of the parties.

3. In the resolution on the termination of a criminal case or of the criminal prosecution:

4. A copy of the resolution on the termination of a criminal case shall be forwarded to the public prosecutor and shall be handed in to the person, with respect to whom the criminal prosecution is terminated, and to the victim within a term of five days from the day of passing such.

Chapter 35. General Conditions for the Judicial Proceedings

Article 240. Directness and Verbal Nature

1. During the judicial proceedings, all proof on the criminal case shall be subject to a direct study, with the exception of the cases envisaged in Section X of the present Code. The court shall hear out the testimony of the defendant, of the victim and of the witnesses, as well as the expert's conclusion, shall examine the demonstrative proof and read out the protocol and the other documents; it shall also perform the other judicial actions, involved in the study of the proof.

2. Reading out the evidence, given during the proceedings of the preliminary inquisition, shall be possible only in the cases envisaged in Articles 276 and 281 of the present Code.

3. The court sentence may be based only on this proof, which have been studied in a court session.

Article 241. Openness

1. The judicial proceedings on criminal cases in all the courts shall be open, with the exception of the cases pointed out in the present Article.

2. Conducting the judicial proceedings in camera shall be admissible on the ground of a court ruling or resolution, if:

2.1. Concrete, actual circumstances shall be indicated in the court ruling or decision on hearing in camera which were used by the court as the grounds for the given decision to be adopted.

3. A criminal case shall be examined in camera while observing all norms of the criminal court proceedings. A ruling or a resolution of the court on examining the criminal case in camera may be adopted with respect to the entire judicial proceedings or with respect to the relevant part of these.

4. The persons' correspondence, the recordings of their telephone and other discussions, and their telegraph, postal and other communications may be pronounced in open court only with their consent. Otherwise, the said materials shall be read out and studied in camera. These demands shall be applied also when studying the materials of photography, of audio and/or video recording and of cinema shooting, of a private nature.

5. The persons, attending an open court session, shall have the right to carry out audio recording and to make records of it in writing. Taking photographs, video recording and/or cinema shooting shall be admissible only with the permission of the presiding justice of the court session.

6. A person below 16 years of age, who is not a participant in the criminal court proceedings, shall be allowed into the courtroom with the permission of the presiding justice.

7. The court sentence shall be announced in open court. If the criminal case is examined in camera, on the ground of the court ruling or resolution there may be made public only the introductory and the resolutive parts of the sentence.

Article 242. Invariability of the Court Composition

1. A criminal case shall be considered by one and the same judge or by one and the same composition of court.

2. If any one of the judges can no longer take part in the court session, he shall be replaced with another judge, and the judicial proceedings on the criminal case shall be started anew.

Article 243. Presiding Justice

1. The presiding justice shall lead the court session and take all measures, stipulated by the present Code, to provide for the competitiveness and the equality of the parties.

2. The presiding justice shall provide for an observation of the daily routine of the court session, explain their rights and duties, as well as the procedure for exercising and fulfilling these to all the participants in the judicial proceedings, and acquaint them with the rules of the court session, laid down by Article 257 of the present Code.

3. Objections of any one participant in the judicial proceedings against the actions of the presiding justice shall be entered into the protocol of the court session.

Article 244. Parties' Equality

The parties of the prosecution and of the defence shall enjoy in the court session the same rights in entering objections and petitions, in submitting proof and in taking part in the study thereof, in taking the floor in the judicial debates and in proposing written formulations on the questions mentioned in Items 1-6 of the first part of Article 299 of the present Code, and in dealing with the other questions arising in the process of the judicial proceedings.

Article 245. Secretary of the Court Session

1. The secretary of the court session shall keep a protocol of the court session. He is obliged to fully and correctly describe in the protocol the court actions and decisions, as well as the actions of the participants in the judicial proceedings, which have taken place in the course of the court session.

2. The secretary of the court session shall check up the attendance of the persons who were obliged to take part in the court session, and shall perform the other actions, stipulated by the present Code, on the orders of the presiding justice.

Article 246. Participation of the Public Prosecutor

1. The participation of the public prosecutor in the judicial proceedings shall be obligatory.

In conformity with Federal Law No. 177-FZ of December 18, 2001, the second part of Article 246 of the present Code shall be put into operation as from January 1, 2003. Untill January 1, 2003 participation in judicial proceedings by the public prosecutor was obligatory only when dealing with criminal cases by a court with the participation of jurors, and also with all criminal cases considered by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, by the Supreme Courts of the Republics, by the territorial and regional courts, by the courts of the cities of federal importance, by the courts of the autonomous region and of autonomous areas, and by the district (naval) military courts.

2. Participation of the public prosecutor shall be obligatory in the judicial proceedings on criminal cases of the public and of the private-public prosecution.

3. On criminal cases of the private prosecution the charge in the judicial proceedings shall be supported by the victim.

4. The public prosecution may be supported by several public prosecutors. If in the course of the judicial proceedings it transpires that the further participation of the public prosecutor is impossible, he may be replaced. The court shall give time for the new public prosecutor, who has joined the judicial proceedings, to get acquainted with the criminal case materials and to prepare for the participation in the judicial proceedings. Replacement of the public prosecutor shall not entail a repetition of the actions that have been performed by this time in the course of the judicial proceedings. Upon the public prosecutor's petition, the court may repeat the interrogations of the witnesses, the victims and the experts, or the other judicial actions.

5. The public prosecutor shall submit the proof and take part in their study, express his own opinion on the merits of the charge and on the other questions, arising in the course of the judicial proceedings, and submit proposals to the court concerning the application of the criminal law and the administration of a punishment to the defendant.

6. The prosecutor shall either file or support the civil claim, brought on the criminal case, if this is required to protect the rights of the citizens and of the public or the state interests.

7. If in the course of the judicial proceedings the public prosecutor arrives at the conclusion that the submitted proof does not confirm the charge brought against the defendant, he shall renounce the charge and explain to the court the motives of the renouncement. The full or a partial renunciation of the accusation on the part of the public prosecutor in the course of the judicial proceedings shall entail the termination of the criminal case or of the criminal prosecution fully or in the corresponding part thereof on the grounds, stipulated by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of Article 24 and by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code.

8. The public prosecutor may also modify the charge towards its mitigation before the court departs to the retiring room for passing the sentence, by way of:

9. Revising a court ruling or resolution on terminating a criminal case on account of the renunciation of the charge by the public prosecutor shall be admissible only if there appear or are revealed new circumstances in conformity with Chapter 49 of the present Code.

10. Termination of a criminal case on account of the public prosecutor's renunciation of the charge, the same as his changing the charge, shall not interfere with the subsequent filing and considering a civil claim by way of the civil court proceedings.

Article 247. Participation of the Defendant

1. Judicial proceedings on a criminal case shall be conducted with an obligatory participation of the defendant, with the exception of the case, stipulated by the fourth part of this Article.

2. If the defendant does not appear, the examination of the criminal case shall be put off.

3. The court shall have the right to subject the defendant, who has not come without any serious reasons, to a forcible bringing, and to apply towards him or change for him a measure of restriction.

4. Judicial proceedings in the absence of the defendant may be permitted, if the defendant files a petition on a crime of a minor or a medium gravity for an examination of the given criminal case in his absence.

Article 248. Participation of a Counsel for the Defence

1. The defendant's counsel for the defence shall take part in the study of the proof and file petitions and express his opinion to the court on the merit of the accusation and on its proving, on the circumstances mitigating the defendant's punishment or acquitting him, on the measure of the punishment and also on the other questions, arising in the course of the judicial proceedings.

2. If the counsel for the defence fails to come and it is impossible to replace him, the judicial proceedings shall be postponed. Replacement of the counsel for the defence shall be performed in conformity with the third part of Article 50 of the present Code.

3. If the counsel for the defence is replaced, the court shall give time for the counsel for the defence who has joined the criminal case proceedings anew, to get acquainted with the criminal case materials and to prepare for the participation in the judicial proceedings. Replacement of the counsel for the defence shall not entail a repetition of the actions that have been accomplished by that time in court. At the request of the counsel for the defence, the court may repeat the interrogations of the witnesses, of the victims and of the experts, or the other judicial actions.

Article 249. Participation of the Victim

1. The judicial proceedings shall take place with the participation of the victim and/or of his representative, unless otherwise stipulated by the second and the third parts of this Article.

2. If the victim does not appear, the court shall consider the criminal case in his absence, with the exception of the cases when the court has recognized that the victim's presence is obligatory.

3. On the criminal cases of the private prosecution the failure of the victim to appear without serious reasons shall entail the termination of the criminal case on the ground, stipulated by Item 2 of the first part of Article 24 of the present Code.

Article 250. Participation of the Civil Claimant and of the Civil Defendant

1. In the judicial proceedings shall be taking part the civilclaimant, the civil defendant and/or their representatives.

2. The court shall have the right to consider a civil claim in the absence of the civil claimant, if:

3. All other cases, if the civil claimant or his representative has failed to appear, the court shall have the right to leave the civil claim without consideration. In this case, the civil claimant shall retain the right to submit the claim by way of the civil court proceedings.

Article 251. Participation of a Specialist

A specialist summoned to the court shall take part in the judicial proceedings in the procedure established by Articles 58 and 270 of the present Code.

Article 252. Scope of the Judicial Proceedings

1. The judicial proceedings shall be conducted only with respect to the defendant and only on the charge brought against him.

2. A change of the charge in the judicial proceedings shall be admissible, unless this aggravates the defendant's position and violates his right to the defence.

Article 253. Putting Off and Suspension of the Judicial Proceedings

1. If it is impossible to conduct the judicial proceedings because of the non-appearance in the court session of any one of the summoned persons or in connection with the need to demand new proof, the court shall pass a ruling or a resolution on putting them off for a definite term. At the same time, measures shall be taken to provide for summoning or for a forcible bringing of these persons and for demanding the supply of new proof.

2. After the judicial proceedings have been resumed, the court shall continue the hearings as from the moment when they were postponed.

3. If the defendant has fled and also in case of the mental derangement or another serious illness precluding his appearance, the court shall suspend the proceedings with respect to this defendant until his search or recovery and shall continue the judicial proceedings with respect to the rest of the defendants. If the separate judicial proceedings interfere with the consideration of the criminal case, the entire proceedings on it shall be suspended. The court shall pass a ruling or a resolution on the search for the defendant who has fled.

Article 254. Termination of the Criminal Case in a Court Session

The court shall terminate the criminal case in a court session:

Article 255. Resolving the Question of a Measure of Restriction

1. In the course of the judicial proceedings the court shall have the right to select, change or cancel a measure of restriction with respect to the defendant.

2. If taking into custody is selected for the defendant as a measure of restriction, the term of holding him under arrest as from the day of the criminal case arriving at the court and untill the sentence is passed shall not exceed six months, with the exception of the cases envisaged in the third part of this Article.

3. The court, which is conducting the procedure on the given criminal case, shall have the right to extend the term of holding the defendant in custody. An extension of the term of holding under arrest shall be admissible only on the criminal cases on grave and especially grave crimes, and every time by no more than three months.

4. The court decision on an extension of the term of holding the defendant in custody may be appealed against by way of cassation. The filing of an appeal shall not suspend the proceedings on the criminal case.

Article 256. Procedure for Passing a Ruling or a Resolution

1. On the questions to be resolved by the court in a court session, the court shall pass rulings or resolutions, which shall be read out in the court session.

2. The ruling or the resolution on sending the criminal case back to the public prosecutor in conformity with Article 237 of the present Code, on the termination of the criminal case, on the selection, change or cancellation of a measure of restriction with respect to the defendant, on an extension of the term of keeping him under arrest, on the objections and on an appointment of a court examination, shall be passed in the retiring room and shall be rendered in the form of a separate procedural document, signed by the judge or by the judges, if the criminal case is examined by the court collectively. All the other rulings or resolutions shall be passed at the court's discretion in the courtroom and shall be entered into the protocol.

Article 257. Rules of the Court Session

1. When the judges enter the courtroom, all those present in the courtroom shall stand up.

2. All the participants in the judicial proceedings shall address the court, give evidence and make applications while standing. A deviation from this rule may be made only with the permission of the presiding justice.

3. The participants in the judicial proceedings, as well as the other persons present in the courtroom, shall address the court with the words, "Esteemed Court", and the judge as "Your Honour".

4. The officer of the court shall provide for the proceedings of the court session and fulfil the orders of the presiding justice. The demands of the officer of the court, aimed at providing for the proceedings of the court session, shall be obligatory for those present in the courtroom.

Article 258. Measures to Be Taken for a Violation of Order in a Court Session

1. If the order is violated during a court session, or if a person present in the courtroom does not fulfil directions of the presiding justice or of the officer of the court, he shall be either warned about the inadmissibility of such behaviour or removed from the courtroom, or a monetary fine shall be imposed upon him in the accordance with the order, established by Articles 117 and 118 of the present Code.

2. If the public prosecutor or the counsel for the defence does not heed directions of the presiding judge, the hearing of the criminal case may be postponed under a ruling or a resolution of the court, if it is impossible without a detriment to the criminal case to replace the given person by another. The court shall simultaneously inform to this effect the higher-placed public prosecutor or the lawyers' chamber, respectively.

3. The defendant may be removed from the courtroom till the end of the parties' debates. In this case, he shall be granted the right to the last plea. The sentence shall in this case be pronounced in his presence or shall be read out to him against his signature immediately after its pronouncement.

Article 259. Protocol of a Court Session

1. In the course of a court session, a protocol shall be kept.

2. The protocol may be written by hand, or typed, or made with the use of a computer. To ensure the fullness of the protocol, a stenograph, as well as their technical devices may be used.

3. In the protocol of a court session must be pointed out:

4. In the protocol shall also be pointed out the measures to be applied towards the person who has interfered with the order of the court session.

5. If in the course of the judicial proceedings the photography, the audio and/or the video recording and the cinema shooting of the interrogations were carried out, a note on this shall be made in the protocol of the court session. In this case, the materials of the photography, of the audio and/or the video recording and of the cinema shooting shall be enclosed to the materials of the criminal case.

6. The protocol shall be compiled and signed by the presiding justice and by the secretary of the court session within three days as from the day of the end of the court session. The protocol may be compiled in the course of the court session in the parts which, the same as the protocol as a whole, shall be signed by the presiding justice and the secretary. Upon the parties' petition, they may be granted an opportunity to get acquainted with the parts of the protocol as soon as these are compiled.

7. The petition for familiarization with the record of a court session shall be filed by the parties in writing within three days as of the date of the court session's termination. Said time period may be restored, if the petition has not been filed for sound reasons. The petition shall not be allowable if a criminal case has already been forwarded to the cassational instance or if on the expiry of the time period provided for filing a cassational appeal, a criminal case is at the stage of execution. The presiding justice shall provide the parties with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the record of a court session within three days as of the date of receiving the petition. The presiding justice shall be likewise entitled to provide other participants of the court proceedings with the opportunity to get familiar with the record on the petition thereof, insofar as their testimonies are concerned. If the record of a court session is issued by virtue of objective circumstances after the expiry of three days as of the date of the court session's termination, the participants of the court proceedings who filed the petition, have to be notified of the date of signing the record and of the time when they can familiarize themselves with it. The time period for familiarization with the record of a court session shall be fixed by the presiding justice depending on the extent of said record but it does not have to be less that five days, as of the start of the familiarization. In exceptional instances the presiding justice may extend the fixed time period on the petition of the person getting familiar with the record. If a participant of court proceedings clearly temporizes familiarization with the record, the presiding justice shall be entitled to fix by his/her decision a specific time for familiarization with it.

8. A copy of the protocol shall be made at a written petition from the participant in the judicial proceedings and at his expense.

Article 260. Comments on the Protocol of a Court Session

1. In the course of three days from the day of getting acquainted with the protocol of the court session, the parties may submit their comments on it.

2. The comments on the protocol shall be examined by the presiding justice without delay. If necessary, the presiding justice shall have the right to summon the persons, who have submitted the comments, for specifying the content thereof.

3. On the results of an examination of the comments, the presiding justice shall pass a resolution on the certification of their correctness, or on their rejection. The comments on the protocol and on the resolution of the presiding justice shall be enclosed to the protocol of the court session.

Chapter 36. Preparatory Part of a Court Session

Article 261. Opening a Court Session

The presiding justice shall open the court session at the appointed time and shall announce what criminal case shall be subjected to the proceedings.

Article 262. Checking the Attendance at the Court

The secretary of the court session shall report on the attendance of the persons who must take part in the court session, and shall declare the reasons behind the absence of those who have not come.

Article 263. Explaining His Rights to the Interpreter

The presiding justice shall explain to the interpreter his rights and liability, stipulated by Article 59 of the present Code, about which the interpreter shall make a signed statement that shall be enclosed to the protocol of the court session.

Article 264. Removal of Witnesses from the Courtroom

1. The arrived witnesses shall be removed from the courtroom untill the start of their interrogation.

2. The officer of the court shall take measures for preventing the witnesses, who have not yet been interrogated by the court, from communicating with the already interrogated witnesses, as well as with the other persons, present in the courtroom.

Article 265. Identification of the Defendant's Person and of the Timely Handing In to Him of a Copy of the Conclusion of Guilt or of the Bill of Indictment

1. The presiding justice shall identify the person of the defendant by finding out his surname, name and patronymic, as well as the year, month, day and place of his birth; he shall also ascertain whether the person has a good command of the language in which the criminal court proceedings are conducted, the place of the defendant's residence and of his work, the kind of his occupation, his education and his family status, and other data concerning his person.

2. After this, the presiding justice shall find out whether and when to the defendant was handed a copy of the conclusion of guilt or of the bill of indictment, or of the public prosecutor's resolution on changing the charge. The judicial proceedings on the criminal case shall not be started earlier than seven days after handing in to the accused a copy of the conclusion of guilt or of the bill of indictment, or of the resolution on changing the charge.

Article 266. Announcement of the Court Composition and the Other Participants in the Judicial Proceedings Explaining to Them the Right of Objection

1. The presiding justice shall announce the composition of the court, shall declare who is the public prosecutor, the counsel for the defence, the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant or their representatives, as well as the secretary of the court session, the expert, the specialist and the interpreter. The presiding justice shall explain to the parties their right to enter a challenge to the constitution of the court as a whole or an objection to any one of the judges in conformity with Chapter 9 of the present Code.

2. The court shall deal with the entered rejections in accordance with the procedure, established by Articles 65, 66 and 68-72 of the present Code.

Article 267. Explaining His Rights to the Defendant

The presiding justice shall explain to the defendant his rights in the judicial proceedings, envisaged by Article 47 of the present Code.

Article 268. Explaining Their Rights to the Victim, the Civil Claimant and the Civil Defendant

1. The presiding justice shall explain to the victim, to the civil claimant and to their representatives, as well as to the civil defendant and to his representative, their rights and responsibility in the judicial proceedings, stipulated, respectively, by Articles 42, 44, 45, 54 and 55 of the present Code.

2. To the victim shall be in addition explained his right to a reconciliation with the defendant in the cases, envisaged in Article 25 of the present Code.

Article 269. Explaining His Rights to the Expert

The presiding justice shall explain to the expert his rights and responsibility, stipulated by Article 57 of the present Code, on which the expert shall make a written signed statement that shall be enclosed to the protocol of the court session.

Article 270. Explanation of His Rights to the Specialist

The presiding justice shall explain to the specialist his rights and responsibility, stipulated by Article 58 of the present Code, on which the specialist shall make a written signed statement that shall be enclosed to the protocol of the court session.

Article 271. Entering and Resolving Petitions

1. The presiding justice shall ask the parties whether they have petitions to file for the summons of new witnesses, experts and specialists, for demanding demonstrative proof and documents, or for excluding the proof obtained with a violation of the demands of the present Code. The person who has entered the petition, shall be obliged to substantiate it.

2. Having heard out the opinions of the participants in the judicial proceedings, the court shall examine every filed petition and shall satisfy it, or it shall pass a ruling or a resolution on the refusal in the satisfaction of the petition.

3. The person, whose petition the court has refused to satisfy, shall have the right to lodge it once again in the course of the further judicial proceedings.

4. The court shall have no right to refuse the satisfaction of the petition for an interrogation in the court session as a witness or as a specialist the person, who has come to the court at the parties' initiative.

Article 272. Resolving the Question of the Possibility to Examine a Criminal Case in the Absence of a Participant in the Criminal Court Proceedings

If any one of the participants in the criminal court proceedings has not appeared, the court shall hear out the parties' opinions on the possibility of carrying out the judicial proceedings in his absence and shall pass a ruling or a resolution on the postponement of the judicial proceedings or on going on with them, as well as on the summoning or on a forcible bringing of the participant in question.

Chapter 37. Judicial Investigation

Article 273. Beginning of the Judicial Investigation

1. The judicial investigation shall be commenced with a statement of the public prosecutor on the charge brought against the defendant, and in the criminal cases of the private prosecution - with the rendering of the statement by the private prosecutor.

2. The presiding justice shall ask the defendant whether the charge is comprehensible to him, whether he recognizes himself to be guilty and whether he or his counsel for the defence wishes to express his attitude to the presented accusation.

Article 274. Procedure for the Study of Proof

1. The sequence in the study of proof shall be defined by the party, which has supplied the proof to the court.

2. The party of the prosecution shall be the first to supply the proof. After the study of the proof supplied by the party of the prosecution, those submitted by the party of the defence shall also be examined.

3. An interrogation of the defendant shall be conducted in conformity with Article 275 of the present Code. With the permission of the presiding justice, the defendant shall have the right to give evidence at any moment of the judicial proceedings.

4. If several defendants are taking part in the criminal case, the sequence of their supply of proof shall be determined by the court with an account for the parties' opinion.

Article 275. Interrogation of the Defendant

1. If the defendant agrees to give evidence, the first to interrogate him shall be the counsel for the defence and the participants in the judicial proceedings on the side of the defence, then the public prosecutor and the participants in the judicial proceedings on the side of the prosecution. The presiding justice shall reject the leading questions and the questions that have no bearing on the given criminal case.

2. The defendant shall have the right to make use of written notes, which shall be submitted to the court upon its demand.

3. The court shall put questions to the defendant after he has been interrogated by the parties.

4. An interrogation of the defendant in the absence of the other defendant shall be admissible at the parties' petition or at the initiative of the court, on which shall be passed a ruling or a resolution. In this case, after the defendant comes back to the courtroom, the presiding justice shall inform him of the content of the testimony, given in his absence, and shall provide for him an opportunity to put questions to the defendant, interrogated in his absence.

5. If there are several defendants in the criminal case, the court shall have the right to change the sequence of their interrogation, laid down in the first part of this Article.

Article 276. Announcement of the Defendant's Testimony

1. The announcement of the defendant's testimony, which he has given in the course of the preliminary inquisition, as well as the reproduction of the materials of the photography, of the audio and/or the video recording and of the cinema shooting of his testimony, enclosed to the protocol of his interrogation, may be performed at the parties' petition in the following cases:

2. The demands of the first part of this Article shall also be spread to the cases of announcement of the testimony, which the defendant gave in court at an earlier stage.

3. The demonstration of the photography negatives and of the photographs and the slides, made in the course of the interrogation, as well as the reproduction of the audio and/or the video recordings and of the cinema shooting of the interrogation without first announcing the evidence, contained in the corresponding protocol of an interrogation or in the protocol of the court session, shall be inadmissible.

Article 277. Interrogation of the Victim

1. The victim shall be interrogated in accordance with the order, established by the second to the sixth parts of Article 278 of the present Code.

2. The victim may give evidence at any moment of the judicial investigation with the permission of the presiding justice.

Article 278. Interrogation of Witnesses

1. The witnesses shall be interrogated apart and in the absence of the still not interrogated witnesses.

2. Before the interrogation, the presiding justice shall identify the person of the witness, find out his relationship with the defendant and with the victim, and explain to him his rights, liabilities and responsibility, stipulated by Article 56 of the present Code, on which the witness shall give a written signed statement that shall be enclosed to the protocol of the court session.

3. The first to put questions to the witness shall be the party, on whose petition he was summoned to the court session. The judge shall put questions to the witness after the latter has been interrogated by the parties.

4. The interrogated witnesses may leave the courtroom before the end of the judicial investigation with the permission of the presiding justice, who shall take into account in doing this the opinion of the parties.

5. If it is necessary to provide for the security of the witness, of his close relatives, relations and near persons, the court shall have the right to conduct his interrogation without making public the genuine data of the witness's person under the conditions, precluding a visual observation of the witness by the other participants in the judicial proceedings, on which the court shall pass a ruling or a resolution.

6. If the parties put forward a substantiated petition on revealing the genuine information on the person who is giving evidence, in connection with the need to carry out the defence of the person at the bar or to establish some circumstances, essential for the examination of the criminal case, the court shall have the right to grant to the parties an opportunity to get acquainted with the said information.

Article 279. Making Use of Written Notes and Documents by the Victim and by the Witness

1. The victim and the witness may make use of the written notes, which shall be submitted to the court upon its demand.

2. The victim and the witness shall be permitted to read out the documents in their possession, which have a bearing on their evidence. These documents shall be submitted to the court and, in accordance with its ruling or resolution, may be enclosed to the criminal case materials.

Article 280. Specifics in an Interrogation of a Minor Victim and Witness

1. If in the interrogation are involved the victims and the witnesses, aged less than fourteen, and at the discretion of the court also those aged from fourteen to eighteen, a pedagogue shall be participating. An interrogation of the minor victims or witnesses with physical or mental defects shall in all cases be conducted in the presence of a pedagogue.

2. Before the start of the interrogation of a minor, the presiding justice shall explain to the pedagogue his rights, on which the corresponding entry shall be made in the protocol of the court session.

3. The pedagogue shall have the right to put questions to the minor victim or witness with the permission of the presiding justice.

4. If necessary, to take part in the interrogation of the under age victims or witnesses, who are pointed out in the first part of this Article, shall also be summoned their legal representatives, who may put questions to the interrogated minor with the permission of the presiding justice. An interrogation of the victim or of the witness, who has not reached fourteen years of age, shall be conducted with an obligatory participation of his legal representative.

5. Before an interrogation of the victims and of the witnesses, who have not reached the age of fourteen, the presiding justice shall explain to them the importance of an exhaustive and truthful evidence for the criminal case. These persons shall not be warned against the refusal to give evidence and against giving a deliberately false evidence, and no signed statements shall be demanded from them.

6. To protect the rights of the minor, an interrogation of the victims and of the witnesses, who have not reached the age of eighteen, may be conducted, upon the petition of the parties and at the initiative of the court, in the absence of the defendant, on which the court shall pass a ruling or a resolution. After taking the defendant back to the courtroom, he shall be informed about the testimony of these persons and given an opportunity to put questions to them.

7. After completing the interrogation, the victim or the witness who has not reached the age of eighteen, the pedagogue who was present at his interrogation, as well as the legal representatives of the victim or of the witness may leave the courtroom with the permission of the presiding justice.

Article 281. Announcement of the Evidence of the Victim and of the Witness

1. The announcement of the testimony of the victim and of the witness given at an earlier date in the course of conducting a preliminary investigation or the judicial proceedings, as well as the demonstration of photography negatives and photographs and slides made during the interrogations, and the reproduction of the audio and/or video recordings and of the cinema shootings of the interrogations, shall only be allowable with the consent of the parties in the event of non-appearance of the victim or witness, save for the instances provided for by Part Two of this Article.

2. In the event of non-appearance of the victim or witness in court session, the court shall be entitled on the petition of the parties or on its own initiative to decide on the announcement of evidence previously given by them in the event of:

3. A court shall be entitled on the petition of a party to decide on the announcement of evidence of the victim or witness, given earlier in the course of preliminary investigation or in court if there are essential contradictions between previously given evidence and the evidence given in court.

4. The refusal from giving evidence on the part of the victim or of the witness, announced in court, shall not be seen as an obstacle for the announcement of his evidence, given in the course of the preliminary inquisition, if this evidence was obtained in conformity with the demands of the second part of Article 11 of the present Code.

5. Demonstration of the photography negatives and of the photographs and slides, made during the interrogation, or the reproduction of the audio and/or the video recordings and of the cinema shooting of the interrogation shall be inadmissible before the preliminary announcement of the evidence, contained in the corresponding protocol of the interrogation or in the protocol of the court session.

Article 282. Interrogation of the Expert

1. Upon the parties' petition or at its own initiative, the court shall have the right to summon for interrogation the expert who has issued the conclusion in the course of the preliminary inquisition, for him to explain or extend the conclusion he has given.

2. After the announcement of the expert's conclusion, the parties may put questions to the expert. The first to put questions shall be the party, at whose initiative the expertise was appointed.

3. If necessary, the court shall have the right to give to the expert the time he needs to prepare the answers to the questions of the court and of the parties.

Article 283. Performance of a Court Examination

1. The court may appoint a court examination upon the parties' petition or at its own initiative.

2. If a court examination is appointed, the presiding justice shall suggest that the parties submit questions to the expert in writing. The raised questions shall be announced and the opinions on them of the participants in the judicial proceedings shall be heard out. Having considered the said questions, the court in its ruling or resolution shall reject those of them which have no bearing on the criminal case or are outside the expert's competence, and shall formulate new questions.

3. The court examination shall be carried out in the order, established by Chapter 27 of the present Code.

4. Upon a petition from the parties or at its own initiative, the court shall appoint a repeated or an additional court examination, if there are contradictions between the conclusions of the experts which cannot be overcome during the judicial proceedings by way of an interrogation of experts.

Article 284. Examination of Demonstrative Proof

1. Demonstrative proof may be examined at any moment of the judicial investigation upon the parties' petition. The persons, to whom demonstrative proof is presented, shall have the right to draw the attention of the court to the circumstances of importance for the criminal case.

2. Demonstrative proof may be examined by the court at the place of their location.

Article 285. Reading Out the Protocols of Investigative Actions and the Other Documents

1. The protocols of investigative actions, the expert's conclusion he has given in the course of the preliminary inquisition, as well as the documents enclosed to the criminal case or submitted in the court session, may be read out in full or in part on the ground of a ruling or a resolution of the court, if the circumstances of importance for the criminal case are either described or certified in them.

2. The protocols of investigative actions, the expert's conclusion and the other documents shall be read out by the party, which has entered a petition for their pronouncement, or by the court.

Article 286. Enclosure of Documents, Submitted to the Court, to Criminal Case Materials

The documents, which have been submitted to the court session by the parties or which have been demanded by the court, may be studied and enclosed to the criminal case materials on the ground of a court ruling or resolution.

Article 287. Examination of the Locality and of the Premises

1. The locality and premises shall be examined by the court with the participation of the parties, and, if necessary, with the participation of the witnesses, of the expert and of the specialist. Examination of the premises shall be carried out on the ground of a court ruling or resolution.

2. As he arrives at the scene of examination, the presiding justice shall announce the continuation of the court session and the court shall start the examination; to the defendant, the victim, the witnesses, the expert and the specialist may be put questions in connection with the examination.

Article 288. Investigative Experiment

1. An investigative experiment shall be staged by the court with the participation of the parties and if necessary, also with the participation of the witnesses, the expert and the specialist. An investigative experiment shall be carried out on the ground of a court ruling or resolution.

2. The court shall conduct an investigative experiment in conformity with the demands of Article 181 of the present Code.

Article 289. Presenting for Identification

If it is necessary to present a person or an object for identification in court, the identification shall be performed in accordance with the demands of Article 193 of the present Code.

Article 290. Identification

1. An identification shall be carried out on the ground of a court ruling or resolution in the cases, envisaged in the first part of Article 179 of the present Code.

2. An identification of the person upon his stripping naked, shall be conducted in a separate room by a doctor or another specialist, who shall compile and sign the act of examination, after which the said person shall be taken back to the courtroom. In the presence of the parties and of the examined person, the doctor or another specialist shall inform the court about the traces and signs on the body of the examined person, if he has found such, and shall answer the questions put by the parties and by the judges. An act of an examination shall be enclosed to the materials of the criminal case.

Article 291. Completing the Judicial Investigation

1. After the study of the proof presented by the parties is completed, the presiding justice shall ask the parties whether they would like to make an addition to the judicial investigation. If a petition for an addition to the judicial investigation is filed, the court shall discuss it and take the corresponding decision.

2. After dealing with the petitions and carrying out the necessary judicial actions in connection with this, the presiding justice shall declare the judicial investigation to be complete.

Chapter 38. Parties' Presentations and the Last Plea of the Defendant

Article 292. Content and Procedure for the Parties' Presentations

1. The parties' presentations shall consist of the speeches of the public prosecutor and of the counsel for the defence. If there is no counsel for the defence, in the parties' presentations shall take part the defendant.

2. In the parties' argument in court may also take part the victim and his representative. The civil claimant, the civil defendant, their representatives and the defendant shall have the right to file a petition for the participation in the parties' debates.

3. The sequence of taking the floor by the participants in the parties' debates shall be established by the court. The public prosecutor shall in all cases be the first, and the defendant and his counsel for the defence - the last. The civil defendant and his representative shall take part in the parties' presentations of the case after the civil claimant and his representative.

4. The participant in the parties' argument shall have no right to refer to the proof, which have not been examined in the court session or which have been recognized by the court as inadmissible.

5. The court shall have no right to limit the length of the parties' presentations. The presiding justice shall have the right to stop the persons, taking part in the presentations of the case, if they concern the circumstances of no bearing on the criminal case under examination or the proof which have been recognized as inadmissible.

6. After all the participants in the discussion have pronounced their speeches, each of them may take the floor yet another time for a retort. The right to the last retort shall be enjoyed by the defendant or by his counsel for the defence.

7. The persons, mentioned in the first to the third parts of this Article, shall have the right, after the end of the parties' debates but before the court departs to the retiring room, to submit to the court in writing the formulations of the decisions on the questions, indicated in Items 1-6 of the first part of Article 299 of the present Code, which they suggest. The proposed formulations do not have an obligatory force for the court.

Article 293. Last Plea of the Defendant

1. After the parties' discussions are over, the presiding justice shall grant the last plea to the defendant. During the last plea, no questions shall be put to the defendant.

2. The court shall have no right to limit the length of the defendant's last plea in time. Yet the presiding justice shall have the right to interrupt the defendant, if the circumstances the defendant describes have no bearing on the criminal case under examination.

Article 294. Resumption of the Judicial Investigation

If the participants in the parties' discussion or the defendant in his last plea put forth some new circumstances of importance for the criminal case, or if they declare that it is necessary to submit new proof to be studied by the court, the court shall have the right to resume the judicial investigation. After the resumed judicial investigation is completed, the court shall once again open the parties' debates and grant the last plea to the defendant.

Article 295.Departure of the Court to the Retiring Room for Passing a Sentence

1. Having heard out the last plea of the defendant, the court shall depart to the retiring room for passing a sentence, about which the presiding justice shall inform those present in the courtroom.

2. Before the court departs to the retiring room, the time of pronouncement of the sentence shall be declared to the participants in the judicial proceedings.

Chapter 39. Passing the Sentence

Article 296. Passing the Sentence on Behalf of the Russian Federation

The court shall pass the sentence on behalf of the Russian Federation.

Article 297. Legality, Substantiation and Justice of the Sentence

1. The court sentence shall be legal, substantiated and just.

2. The sentence shall be recognized as legal, substantiated and just, if it is passed in conformity with the demands of the present Code and relies on the correct application of the criminal law.

Article 298. Secrecy of the Judges' Conference

1. The sentence shall be passed by the court in the retiring room. During the passing of the sentence in this room may be present only the judges, included into the composition of the court on the given criminal case.

2. After the end of the working hours, as well as in the course of the working day, the court shall have the right to have an interval for a break exiting out of the retiring room. The judges shall have no right to divulge the judgements put forth in the discussions and in passing the sentence.

Article 299. Questions Resolved by the Court in Passing the Sentence

1. When passing the sentence, the court shall resolve the following questions in the retiring room:

2. If the defendant is accused of the perpetration of several crimes, the court shall resolve the questions, pointed out in Items 1-7 of the first part of this Article, with respect to every crime separately.

3. If several defendants are charged with committing the crime, the court shall resolve the questions, pointed out in Items 1-7 of the first part of this Article, with respect to every defendant separately, while determining his role and the extent of his participation in the perpetrated act.

Article 300. Resolving the Question of the Defendant's Sanity

1. In the cases, envisaged by Item 16 of the first part of Article 299 of the present Code, the court shall discuss the question of the defendant's sanity, if this question has arisen in the course of the preliminary inquisition or of the judicial proceedings.

2. Having recognized that the defendant was in a state of mental derangement during the perpetration of the crime or that he has plunged into the state of mental derangement after committing the crime, which precluded the possibility for him to realize the actual character and the social danger of his actions (his lack of action) or to govern them, the court shall pass a resolution in the order, established by Chapter 51 of the present Code.

Article 301. Procedure of the Judges' Conference in the Collegiate Consideration of a Criminal Case

1. When passing the sentence in the retiring room if the criminal case was examined by the court collectively, the presiding justice shall arrange the questions for resolving them in the order, established by Article 299 of the present Code.

2. In the resolution of every question, the judge shall have no right to abstain from the voting, with the exception of the cases envisaged in the third part of this Article. All the questions shall be resolved by the majority vote. The presiding justice shall be the last to cast his vote.

3. The judge, who gave his vote for the acquittal of the defendant and who was left in the minority, shall be granted the right to abstain from the voting on the questions of the application of the criminal law. If the judges' opinions on the questions of qualifying the crime or on the measure of the punishment have diverged, the vote cast for the acquittal shall be added to the votes, cast for the qualification of the crime in conformity with a criminal law envisaging a less serious crime and for meting out a milder punishment.

4. The measure of the punishment in the form of the death penalty may be administered to the guilty person only by a unanimous decision of all the judges.

5. The judge holding a special opinion on the passed sentence, shall have the right to put it in writing in the retiring room. The special opinion shall be enclosed to the sentence and shall not be announced in the courtroom.

Article 302. Kinds of Sentences

1. The court sentence may be either a judgement of acquittal or a judgement of conviction.

2. The judgement of acquittal shall be passed in the cases, when:

3. The acquittal on any of the grounds, stipulated in the second part of this Article, shall signify recognizing the defendant as being not guilty and shall entail his rehabilitation in conformity with the procedure laid down by Chapter 18 of the present Code.

4. The judgement of conviction cannot be based on the suppositions and shall be passed only on the condition that in the course of the judicial proceedings the defendant's guilt in committing the crime was confirmed by the aggregate of the proof, studied by the court.

5. The judgement of conviction shall be passed:

6. The court shall pass the verdict of guilty in the case stipulated by Item 2 of the fifth part of this Article, if by the moment of passing the sentence:

7. As it passes the judgement of conviction with the prescription of the punishment that shall be served by the convict, the court shall define precisely the form of the punishment, its size and the start of counting the term of serving it.

8. If the grounds for the termination of a criminal case and/or of the criminal prosecution, pointed out in Items 1-3 of the first part of Article 24 and in Items 1 and 3 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code, are revealed in the course of the judicial proceedings, the court shall go on with an examination of the criminal case in the usual order, till resolving it on the merit. In the cases, envisaged by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of Article 24 and by Items 1 and 2 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code, the court shall pass a judgement of acquittal, and in the cases, stipulated by Item 3 of the first part of Article 24 and by Item 3 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code - a judgement of conviction with the relief of the convict from the punishment.

Article 303. Compiling the Sentence

1. After resolving the questions, pointed out in Article 299 of the present Code, the court shall move on to compiling the sentence. The sentence shall be rendered in the language in which the judicial proceedings were conducted, and shall consist of introductory, descriptive-motivation and resolutive parts.

2. The sentence shall be written by hand or made with the use of technical devices by one of the judges who has taken part in passing it. The sentence shall be signed by all the judges, including the judge who has reserved a dissenting opinion.

3. The corrections, made in the sentence shall be specified and certified with the signatures of all the judges in the retiring room before the proclamation of the sentence.

Article 304. Introductory Part of the Sentence

In the introductory part of the sentence shall be supplied the following information:

Article 305. Descriptive-Motivation Part of the Judgement of Acquittal

1. In the descriptive-motivation part of the judgement of acquittal shall be rendered:

2. No formulations, which may put into doubt the absence of the acquitted person's guilt, shall be included into the judgement of acquittal.

Article 306. Resolutive Part of the Sentence of Acquittal

1. The resolutive part of the sentence of acquittal shall contain:

2. In passing the judgement of acquittal, a resolution or a ruling on the termination of the criminal case on the grounds, envisaged in Item 1 of the first part of Article 24 and in Item 1 of the first part of Article 27 of the present Code, the court refuses in the satisfaction of the civil claim. In the rest of the cases, the court shall leave the civil claim without examination. The court's leaving a civil claim without examination shall not be seen as an obstacle to its subsequent presentation and examination by way of the civil court proceedings.

3. In the event of passing the judgement of acquittal, issuing the decision or ruling on termination of criminal prosecution for the reasons provided for by Item 1 of Part One of Article 27 of this Code, as well as in other instances when the person subject to be brought to court as the accused is not found, the court shall decide on forwarding the criminal case to the prosecutor for carrying out the preliminary investigation and for finding the person subject to be brought to court as the accused.

Article 307. Descriptive-Motivation Part of the Judgement of Conviction

The descriptive-motivation part of the judgement of conviction shall contain:

Article 308. Resolutive Part of the Judgement of Conviction

1. In the resolutive part of the judgement of conviction shall be pointed out:

2. If against the defendant is brought a charge in accordance with several Articles of the criminal law, in the resolutive part of the sentence shall be pointed out exactly, on which of them the defendant is acquitted and on which he is convinced.

3. If the defendant is relieved from serving the punishment, or if the sentence is passed without meting out a punishment, this shall also be pointed out in the resolutive part of the sentence.

Article 309. Other Questions to Be Resolved in the Resolutive Part of the Sentence

1. With the exception of the questions, pointed out in Articles 306 and 308 of the present Code, in the resolutive part of the sentence shall be contained:

2. If it is necessary to perform additional computations, involved in the civil claim, which require a postponement of the judicial proceedings, the court may recognize the right of the civil claimant to the satisfaction of the civil claim and hand over the question of the size of the recompense on the civil claim for an examination by way of the civil court proceedings.

3. In the resolutive part of the sentence shall also be contained an explanation of the procedure and the time terms for filing an appeal against it in conformity with the demands of Chapters 43-45 of the present Code, as well as of the right of both the convicted and the acquitted person to file a petition for taking part in the examination of the criminal case by a court of the cassation instance.

Article 310. Pronouncement of the Sentence

1. After the sentence is signed, the court shall return to the courtroom and the presiding justice shall pronounce the judgement. All those present in the courtroom, including the composition of the court, shall listen to the pronouncement of the sentence while standing.

2. If the sentence is rendered in a language, of which the defendant has no command, the interpreter shall read out the simultaneous translation of the sentence into the language, of which the defendant has a good command, as the sentence is pronounced, or after it is pronounced.

3. If the defendant is sentenced to the capital punishment, the presiding justice shall explain to him his right to appeal for clemency.

4. If only introductory and resolutive parts of the sentence are announced in conformity with the seventh part of Article 241 of the present Code, the court shall explain to the participants in the judicial proceedings the procedure for getting acquainted with its full text.

Article 311. Release of the Defendant from Custody

The defendant, who is held in custody, shall be subject to immediate release in the courtroom, if:

Article 312. Handing In a Copy of the Sentence

The copies of the sentence shall be handed in within five days from its pronouncement to the convict or to the acquitted person, to his counsel for the defence and to the public prosecutor. Within the same term the copies of the sentence may also be handed in to the victim, the civil claimant, the civil defendant and to their representatives, if there is a petition from these persons.

Article 313. Questions to Be Resolved by the Court Simultaneously with Passing a Sentence

1. If the person, sentenced to the deprivation of freedom, has minors and other dependents, or parents advanced in years, who are in need of outside assistance, the court shall be obliged, simultaneously with passing the sentence, to pass a ruling or a resolution on handing over said persons into the care of the close relatives, relatives or other persons, or on placing them into the children's or into social institutions.

2. If the convict has the property or the dwelling quarters left without supervision, the court shall pass a ruling or a resolution on taking measures for their protection.

3. If in the criminal case is taking part an appointed counsel for the defence, the court shall be obliged, simultaneously with passing the sentence, to issue a ruling or a resolution on the amount of the remuneration to be paid out to him for rendering legal assistance.

4. All the decisions, stipulated by this Article, may be adopted upon a petition from the interested persons and after the pronouncement of the sentence.

Section X. Special Order of the Judicial Proceedings

Chapter 40. Special Procedure for Taking a Court Decision if the Accused Agrees with the Charge Brought Against Him

Article 314. Grounds for the Application of a Special Procedure for Taking a Court Decision

1. The defendant shall have the right, with the consent of the public or of the private prosecutor and of the victim, to declare that he agrees with the charge brought against him and to file a petition for passing a sentence without conducting the judicial proceedings on the criminal cases on the crimes, the punishment for which, stipulated by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, does not exceed ten years of the deprivation of freedom.

2. In the case, envisaged in the first part of this Article, the court shall have the right to pass a sentence without conducting the judicial proceedings in the general order, if it is convinced that:

3. If the court establishes that the conditions, stipulated by the first and the second parts of this Article, under which the defendant has filed the petition, have not been observed, it shall adopt the decision on an appointment of the judicial proceedings in the general order.

4. If the public or the private prosecutor and/or the victim object to the petition lodged by the defendant, the criminal case shall be examined in the general order.

Article 315. Procedure for Filing a Petition

1. A petition for passing a sentence without conducting the judicial proceedings in connection with the defendant's agreement with the charge brought against him, shall be declared by him in the presence of his counsel for the defence. If the counsel for the defence is not invited by the defendant himself, by his legal representative or by another person on their orders, the participation of the counsel for the defence in the given case shall be provided for by the court.

2. The defendant shall have the right to file a petition:

Article 316. Procedure for Holding Court Session and Passing the Sentence

1. A court session, on the defendant's petition for passing the sentence without carrying out judicial proceedings in connection with his/her agreement with the charge brought against him, shall be held in the procedure established by Chapters 35, 36, 38 and 39 of this Code subject to the requirements of this Article.

2. A court session shall be held with an obligatory participation of the defendant and of his counsel for the defence.

3. The defendant's petition for passing the sentence without carrying out court proceedings shall be considered as starting from the statement by the public prosecutor of the charge brought against him, or with the statement of the charge by the private prosecutor when dealing with criminal cases which involve private prosecution.

4. The judge shall question the defendant whether he/she understands the charge brought against him, whether he/she agrees with the charge and whether he/she sustains his/her petition for passing the sentence without carrying out court proceedings, whether the petition is made on a voluntary basis and after consulting with the defence counsel, whether he/she realizes the consequences of passing the sentence without carrying out court proceedings. If the victim attends the court session, the judge shall clarify his attitude to the defendant's petition.

5. The judge shall not carry out the examination and evaluation in the general procedure of the evidence related to a criminal case. With this, there may be examined the circumstances characterizing the defendant's personality and the circumstances mitigating or aggravating his/her punishment.

6. A judge, if the defendant, the public or private prosecutor or the victim object to passing the sentence without carrying out court proceedings, or on his/her own initiative, shall make a decision on terminating special court proceedings and on trying the criminal case in the general procedure.

7. If the judge arrives at the conclusion that the charge, with which the defendant has agreed, is substantiated and is confirmed by the proof collected on the criminal case, he/she shall pass the sentence of conviction and shall mete out the punishment to the defendant, which may not exceed two-thirds of the maximum term or the extent of the strictest punishment envisaged for the committed crime.

8. The narrative and declarative part of the sentence of conviction has to contain the description of the criminal deed, whose commission is acknowledged by the defendant, as well as the court's conclusions on observing the terms of passing the sentence without carrying out court proceedings. The evidence analysis and the evaluation thereof by the judge shall not be shown in the sentence.

9. After pronouncing the sentence the judge shall explain to the parties the right to, and the procedure for, appealing against it provided for by Chapter 43 of this Code.

10. The procedural outlays provided for by Article 131 of this Code shall not be exacted from the defendant.

Article 317. Limits for an Appeal Against the Sentence

The sentence, passed in conformity with Article 316 of the present Code, cannot be appealed against in accordance with the statutory or the cassation procedure on the ground, stipulated by Item 1 of Article 379 of the present Code.

Section XI. Specifics of the Proceedings for a Justice of the Peace

Chapter 41. Proceedings on Criminal Cases, Placed under the Jurisdiction of the Justice of the Peace

Article 318. Institution of a Criminal Case of the Private Prosecution

1. Criminal cases on the crimes, pointed out in the second part of Article 20 of the present Code, shall be instituted by way of filing an application by the victim or by his legal representative.

2. If the victim has died, the criminal case shall be instituted by way of filing an application by a close relative of his, or in the procedure established by the third part of this Article.

3. A criminal case may be instituted by the public prosecutor in the cases, when the victim cannot protect his rights and lawful interests because of his helpless condition or on account of the other reasons. In this case, the public prosecutor shall forward the criminal case for conducting a preliminary inquisition.

4. The entry of the public prosecutor into the criminal case shall not deprive the parties of the right to the reconciliation.

5. The application shall contain:

6. The application shall be filed to the court with an enclosure of its copies in accordance with the number of the persons, with respect to whom the criminal case of the private prosecution is being instituted.

7. As from the moment of the court's acceptance of the application for its proceedings, the person who has filed it shall be seen as the private prosecutor. To him shall be explained the rights, stipulated by Articles 42 and 43 of the present Code, on which a protocol shall be compiled, which shall be signed by the judge and by the person who has filed the application.

Article 319. Powers of the Justice of the Peace on a Criminal Case of the Private Prosecution

1. If the lodged application does not satisfy the demands of the fifth and the sixth parts of Article 318 of the present Code, the justice of the peace shall pass a resolution on sending the application back to the person who has filed it, in which it is suggested to the latter that he make the application correspond with the said demands and the term is fixed for doing this. If this directive of the justice of the peace is not fulfilled, the justice of the peace shall refuse to accept the application for his proceedings and shall notify to this effect the person who has filed it.

2. Upon the petition of the parties, the justice of the peace shall have the right to render them assistance in collecting the proof which they cannot obtain on their own.

3. If there are grounds for an appointment of a court session, the justice of the peace shall summon the person, with respect to whom the application is filed, within seven days from the arrival of the application to the court, shall acquaint him with the criminal case materials, hand in to him a copy of the filed application, explain to him the rights of the defendant in the court session, stipulated by Article 47 of the present Code, and find out who shall be summoned to the court as the witnesses of the defence in the opinion of the given person, on which a recognizance shall be taken from him.

4. If the person, with respect to whom the application is filed, does not come to the court, a copy of the application with an explanation of the defendant's rights, as well as of the terms and the order for the parties' reconciliation shall be forwarded to the defendant.

5. The counsel for the defence shall explain to the parties the possibility of the reconciliation. If applications for the reconciliation arrive from them, the proceedings on the criminal case shall be stopped at the resolution of the justice of the peace in conformity with the second part of Article 20 of the present Code.

6. If no reconciliation between the parties is reached, the justice of the peace, after fulfilling the demands of the third and the fourth parts of this Article, shall appoint an examination of the criminal case in a court session in accordance with the rules, stipulated by Chapter 33 of the present Code.

Article 320. Powers of the Justice of the Peace on a Criminal Case with a Bill of Indictment

On a criminal case with the bill of indictment, which has arrived at the court, the justice of the peace shall carry out preliminary actions and shall adopt the decision in accordance with the procedure established by Chapter 33 of the present Code.

Article 321. Examination of a Criminal Case in a Court Session

1. The justice of the peace shall examine a criminal case as per the general procedure with the exceptions stipulated by this Article.

2. The judicial proceedings shall be started not earlier and not later than 14 days from the day of arrival of the application or of the criminal case at the court.

3. An examination of the application on a criminal case of the private prosecution may be combined into one procedure with an examination of the counter application. Combining the applications shall be admissible on the ground of a resolution of the justice of the peace before the court investigation is started. If the applications are combined into a single procedure, the persons who have filed them, shall take part in the criminal court proceedings simultaneously, as the private prosecutor and the private defendant. To prepare for the defence in connection with the filed counter application and with the combining of the procedures, upon the petition of the person, with respect to whom the counter application is filed, the criminal case may be put off for a term of not over three days. An interrogation of these persons about the circumstances they have exposed in their applications shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for an interrogation of the victim, and about the circumstances described in the counter complaints - in accordance with the rules for an interrogation of the defendant.

4. The prosecution in the court session shall be supported by:

5. The judicial investigation on criminal cases of the private prosecution shall start with the private prosecutor or his representative presenting the application. If on the criminal case of the private prosecution is simultaneously examined the counter application, its arguments shall be rendered in the same order, after rendering the arguments of the principal application. The prosecutor shall have the right to present proof, to take part in its study and to express his opinion to the court on the merit of the charge, on the application of the criminal law and on meting out the punishment to the defendant, as well as on the other questions arising in the course of the judicial proceedings. The prosecutor may modify the charge, unless this aggravates the defendant's position or violates his right to the defence, and has the right to renounce the charge.

Article 322. Sentence of a Justice of the Peace

The sentence shall be passed by a justice of the peace in accordance with the procedure, established by Chapter 39 of the present Code.

Article 323. Filing an Appeal Against the Sentence and the Resolution of a Justice of the Peace

1. The sentence of a justice of the peace may be appealed against by the parties in the course of ten days from the day of its pronouncement in accordance with the procedure, laid down by Articles 354 and 355 of the present Code.

2. Within the same term from the day of passing them may also be appealed against the resolution of a justice of the peace on the termination of a criminal case and against his other resolutions.

3. A complaint or a presentation of the public prosecutor shall be handed in to the justice of the peace and directed by him, together with the materials of the criminal case, to the district court for an examination by way of an appeal.

Section XII. Specifics of the Proceedings in a Court with the Participation of Jurors

Chapter 42. Proceedings on Criminal Cases Considered by a Court with the Participation of Jurors

Article 324. Order of the Proceedings in a Court with the Participation of Jurors

The proceedings in a court with the participation of jurors shall be conducted in the general order with an account for the specifics, stipulated by this Chapter.

Article 325. Specifics in Conducting a Preliminary Hearing

1. The preliminary hearing in a court with the participation of jurors shall be performed in the order, established by Chapter 34 of the present Code, while taking into account the demands of this Article.

2. A criminal case, in which several defendants are brought to the bar, shall be considered by a court with the participation of jurors with respect to all the defendants, even if only one of them enters a petition for an examination of the criminal case by a court in such composition.

3. If the defendant has not entered a petition on his case to be considered by a court with the participation of jurors, the given criminal case shall be examined by another composition of the court in the order, laid down by Article 30 of the present Code.

4. In the resolution on an appointment of a criminal case to a hearing by a court with the participation of jurors shall be defined the number of the candidates for jurors, who shall be summoned to a court session and whose number shall be at least twenty, and shall be pointed out whether the court session is going to be open, closed or partially closed. In the last case, the court shall determine what part of the forthcoming session is going to be closed.

5. The resolution of the judge on the consideration of the criminal case with the participation of jurors is final. A subsequent refusal of the defendant from an examination of the case by a court with the participation of jurors shall not be accepted.

6. A copy of the resolution shall be handed in to the parties at their request.

Federal Law No. 154-FZ of December 2, 2004 amended Article 326 of this Code

Article 326. Compiling a Preliminary List of Jurors

1. After an appointment of the court session, the secretary of the court session or the deputy judge shall select on the orders of the presiding justice the candidates for jurors out of those entered into the general and reserve lists, kept in the court, randomly.

2. The secretary of the court session or the deputy judge shall check whether there exist any circumstances stipulated by a federal law, interfering with the given person's participation as a juror in the examination of the criminal case.

3. One and the same person cannot take part in the court sessions in the capacity of a juror more than once in the course of one year.

4. After selecting the candidates for jurors for taking part in the examination of the criminal case, a preliminary list shall be compiled with an indication of their surnames, names, patronymics and home addresses, which shall be signed by the secretary of the court session or by the deputy judge who has compiled the given list. Persons who by virtue of circumstances established by a federal law cannot participate in the consideration of a criminal case as jurors shall not be included in the preliminary list of candidates to jurors.

5. The surnames of the candidates for jurors shall be entered into the list in the order, in which the random option was made.

6. To the candidates for jurors shall be handed in notifications, where the date and the hour of their appearance at the court are pointed out, not later than seven days before the start of the judicial proceedings.

7. From the performance of the duties of jurors by their oral or written application the presiding judge may release persons older than 60; women having a child under three years of age; persons who by virtue of their religious convictions consider it impossible for them to take part in the administration of justice; persons whose distraction from the performance of their official duties may inflict essential harm to social or state interests; other persons having valid reasons for nonparticipation in a court session.

Article 327. Preparatory Part of a Court Session

1. The preparatory part of a court session with the participation of jurors shall be carried out in the procedure established by Chapter 36 of the present Code, with an account for the demands of this Article.

2. After a report on the appearance of the parties and of the other participants in the criminal court proceedings, the secretary of the court session or the deputy judge shall report on the appearance of the candidates for jurors.

3. If less than twenty candidates for jurors have come to the court session, the presiding justice shall give an order on an additional summons of candidates for jurors to the court.

4. The lists of the candidates for jurors who have come to the court session, shall be handed in to the parties without an indication of their home addresses.

5. While explaining their rights to the parties, the presiding justice, in addition to the rights stipulated in the corresponding articles of Part One of the present Code, shall be also obliged to explain to them:

Article 328. Formation of a College of Jurors

1. After the presiding justice fulfills the demands of Article 327, the attending candidates for jurors shall be invited to the courtroom.

2. The presiding justice shall make a brief introductory speech before the candidates for jurors, in which he shall:

3. The presiding justice shall explain to the candidates for jurors their liability to truthfully answer the questions put to them and to give the necessary information on themselves and on their relationships with the other participants in the criminal court proceedings. After this, the presiding justice shall ask the candidates for jurors about the existence of any circumstances that may interfere with their participation in the capacity of jurors in the examination of the criminal case.

4. Every one of the candidates for jurors who have come to the court session shall have the right to point out the reasons, preventing him from the performance of the duties of a juror, and to enter a self-rejection.

5. On the petitions from the candidates for jurors on the impossibility for them to take part in the court proceedings shall be heard out the opinion of the parties, after which the judge shall adopt the decision.

6. The candidates for jurors, whose petitions for their relief from the participation in examining the criminal case are satisfied, shall be struck off the preliminary list and removed from the courtroom.

7. After the satisfaction of the self-rejections of the candidates for jurors, the presiding justice shall suggest that the parties avail themselves of their right to enter a motivated objection.

8. The presiding judge shall give the parties an opportunity to put questions to every one of the remaining candidates for jurors, which in their opinion have a bearing on the elucidation of the circumstances, interfering with the participation of the person in question in considering the given criminal case in the capacity of a juror. The defence shall be the first to question candidates for jurors. If a party is represented by several participants, the order of their participation in questioning effected by the party shall be established, as agreed by them.

9. After putting questions to the candidates for jurors is completed, every one candidate shall be discussed in the sequence of their presentation in the list of candidates. The presiding justice shall ask the parties whether they have any objections to raise in connection with the circumstances, preventing the given person from taking part in the consideration of the criminal case in the capacity of a juror.

10. The parties shall submit to the presiding justice the motivated petitions for the objections in writing, while not reading them out. These petitions shall be resolved by the judge without departure to the retiring room. The rejected candidates for jurors shall be struck off the preliminary list.

11. The presiding justice shall bring his decision on the motivated objections to the knowledge of the parties. He may also bring his decision to the knowledge of the candidates for jurors.

12. If as a result of the satisfaction of the announced self-rejections and of the motivated objections less than eighteen candidates for jurors are left, the presiding judge shall take measures, stipulated by the third part of Article 327 of the present Code. If the number of the remaining candidates for jurors is eighteen or more, the presiding justice shall propose that the parties put forth unmotivated objections.

13. The unmotivated objections to the jurors shall be put forth by the persons, mentioned in Item 2 of the fifth part of Article 327 of the present Code, by way of striking off the received preliminary list the names of the rejected candidates for jurors, after which these lists shall be handed over to the presiding justice without reading out the surnames of the rejected jurors. These lists, as well as the motivated petitions on the rejection of jurors shall be enclosed to the criminal case materials.

14. The first to put forth an unmotivated objection shall be the public prosecutor, who shall agree his position on the objections with the other participants in the criminal court proceedings on the side of the prosecution.

15. If several defendants are taking part in the criminal case, an unmotivated objection shall be made with their mutual consent, and if no consensus is reached - by equally dividing the number of the rejected jurors between them, if possible. If such division is impossible, the defendants shall realize their right to an unmotivated objection by the majority vote or by casting lots.

16. If the number of the unrejected jurors allows for this, the presiding justice may grant to the parties the right to an equal number of additional unmotivated objections.

17. After all questions involved in the self-rejections and in the objections to the candidates for jurors are dealt with, the secretary of the court session or the deputy judge shall compile on the orders of the presiding justice a list of the remaining candidates for jurors in that sequence, in which they were entered into the initial list.

18. If the number of the unrejected candidates for jurors exceeds fourteen, into the protocol of the court session, on the orders of the presiding justice shall be entered the first fourteen candidates in the list. Taking into account the character and the complexity of the criminal case, per the decision of the presiding justice may be selected a greater number of reserve jurors, who shall also be entered into the protocol of the court session.

19. After this, the presiding judge shall announce the results of the selection, while not pointing out the reasons for the removal from the list of certain candidates for jurors, and shall thank the rest of the candidates.

20. If the remaining candidates for jurors are less than fourteen, the necessary number of persons shall be summoned to the court in addition, in accordance with the reserve list. With respect to the candidates for jurors, newly summoned to the court, the questions involved in relieving them from the participation in considering the criminal case and in the relevant objections shall be resolved in the order established in this Chapter.

21. The presiding justice shall read out the surnames, names and patronymics of the jurors, entered into the protocol of the court session. The first twelve jurors shall form a college of jurors on the criminal case, and the last two shall take part in the examination of the criminal case in the capacity of the reserve jurors.

22. After the formation of the college of jurors is completed, the presiding justice shall propose to the twelve jurors to occupy the seats assigned for them in the jury box, which shall be separated from those present in the courtroom and shall be as a rule situated opposite the dock. The reserve jurors shall take in the jury box the seats, specially assigned for them by the presiding justice.

23. The college of jurors shall be formed in camera.

24. If in the criminal case materials is contained the information comprising the state or other kinds of secrets protected by the federal law, the jurors shall give a written signed recognizance not to divulge it. A juror who refuses to issue such recognizance shall be rejected by the presiding justice and shall be replaced with a reserve juror.

Article 329. Replacement of a Juror with a Reserve One

1. If in the course of the judicial proceedings but before the jurors depart to the residing room for passing the verdict it is found out that some one of the jurors cannot go on participating in the court session, they shall be replaced with reserve jurors in the sequence as is observed in the list when forming the college of jurors on the criminal case.

2. If in the course of the judicial proceedings the senior juror leaves the ranks, he shall be replaced by carrying out a repeated election in accordance with the procedure, established by Article 331 of the present Code.

3. If the number of the jurors, who have left the ranks, exceeds the number of the reserve jurors, the judicial proceedings shall be recognized as invalid. In this case, in conformity with Article 328 of the present Code, the presiding justice shall start a new selection of jurors, in which those jurors who have been discharged in connection with the disbandment of the college, may also take part.

4. If the impossibility for one of the jurors to participate in the court session is exposed during the passing of the verdict, the jurors shall be obliged to enter the courtroom, to replenish the college at the expense of the reserve jurors and to depart for a further discussion of the verdict.

Article 330. Dismissal of the Jury Because of the Biased Nature of Its Composition

1. Before the jurors' adjuration, the parties shall have the right to announce that on account of the specifics of the criminal case under consideration, the formed college of jurors as a whole may prove to be incapable of passing an objective verdict.

2. Having heard out the parties' opinion, the presiding justice shall resolve the given statement in the retiring room and shall pass a resolution.

3. If the statement is recognized as substantiated, the presiding justice shall disband the jury and shall resume the preparations to an examination of the criminal case by a court with the participation of jurors in conformity with Article 324 of the present Code.

Article 331. Senior Juror

1. The jurors, included into the composition of the jury, shall elect by a majority vote the senior juror, who shall inform the presiding justice about his election.

2. The senior juror shall guide the course of the jurors' conference, shall address the presiding justice with questions and requests on their behalf, shall announce the questions put by the court and write down the answers to them, shall sum up the results of the voting, formalize the verdict and, on the presiding justice's directions, shall proclaim it in the court session.

Article 332. Taking an Oath by the Jurors

1. After the senior juror is elected, the presiding justice shall address the jurors with a proposal that they take an oath and shall read out its text: "As I begin the discharge of the juror's responsible duties, I hereby solemnly swear to discharge them honestly and without a bias, to take into account all the proof considered in court, both those exposing the defendant and acquitting him, and to resolve the criminal case in accordance with my inner conviction and conscience, not acquitting a guilty person and not condemning an guilty one, as befits a free citizen and a just man."

2. Having pronounced the text of the oath, the presiding justice shall call out according to the list the surnames of the jurors, each of whom shall respond to the presiding justice's address with the words: "I swear".

3. The oath shall also be taken by the reserve jurors.

4. In the protocol of the court session shall be made a note on taking the oath.

5. All those present in the courtroom shall hear out the text of the oath and its swearing while standing.

6. After the oath is sworn, the presiding justice shall explain to the jurors their rights and duties.

Article 333. Rights of the Jurors

1. The jurors, including the reserve jurors, shall have the right:

2. The jurors shall have no right:

3. For the failure to come to the court without a serious reason, on the juror may be imposed a monetary penalty in the order established by Article 118 of the present Code.

4. The presiding justice shall warn the jurors that if they violate the demands stipulated in the second part of this Article, the juror may be discharged from further taking part in the examination of the criminal case at the initiative of the judge or at the parties' petition. In this case, the discharged juror shall be replaced with a reserve juror.

Article 334. Powers of the Judge and of the Jurors

1. In the course of the judicial proceedings on the criminal case, the jurors shall resolve only those questions that are envisaged by Items 1, 2 and 4 of the first part of Article 299 of the present Code and that are formulated in the list of questions. If they find the defendant to be guilty, the jurors shall also point out in conformity with Article 339 of the present Code whether the defendant deserves leniency.

2. The questions, not mentioned in the first part of this Article, shall be resolved without the participation of the jurors, by the presiding justice alone.

Article 335. Specifics of the Judicial Investigation in a Court with the Participation of Jurors

1. The judicial investigation in a court with the participation of jurors shall start with the introductory statements, made by the public prosecutor and by the counsel for the defence.

2. In the introductory statement the public prosecutor shall expound the substance of the brought charge and shall offer the procedure for the study of the proof he has supplied.

3. The counsel for the defence shall express his position on the brought charge, agreed with the defendant, and his opinion on the procedure for the study of the proof supplied by him.

4. The jurors shall have the right, after an interrogation by the parties of the defendant, the victim, the witnesses and the expert, to put questions to them through the presiding justice. The questions shall be formulated by the jurors in writing and shall be submitted to the presiding justice through the senior juror. These questions shall be formulated by the presiding justice and may be rejected by him as having no bearing on the brought charge.

5. The judge may exclude from the criminal case the proof, the inadmissibility of which is revealed in the course of the judicial proceedings, either at his own initiative or upon a petition from the parties.

6. If in the course of the judicial proceedings the question arises concerning the inadmissibility of the proof, it shall be treated in the absence of the jurors. Having heard out the parties' opinion, the judge shall take the decision on the removal of the proof which he has recognized to be inadmissible.

7. In the course of the judicial proceedings, subject to an investigation in the presence of the jurors shall be only the factual circumstances of the criminal case, the proving of which is to be established by the jurors in conformity with their powers, stipulated by Article 334 of the present Code.

8. The data on the defendant's personality shall be studied with the participation of the jurors only in that measure in which they are necessary for establishing the individual signs of the corpus delicti of the crime, of the perpetration of which he is accused. It is prohibited to investigate the facts of the defendant's past criminal record, of his being recognized as a chronic alcoholic or drug addict, as well as the other data that may give birth to a bias in the jurors with respect to the defendant.

Article 336. Parties' Presentations

1. After the end of the judicial proceedings, the court shall pass on to hearing out the parties' presentations, which shall be carried out in conformity with Article 292 of the present Code.

2. The parties' presentations shall be conducted only within the range of the questions, subject to resolution by the jurors. The parties have no right to touch upon the circumstances which shall be examined after they pass the verdict, without the participation of the jurors. If a participant in the parties' presentations mentions such circumstances, the presiding justice shall stop him short and shall explain to the jurors that they must not take these circumstances into account as they pass the verdict.

3. The parties shall have no right to refer in the substantiation of their stand to the circumstances that have been recognized in the established order as inadmissible or that have not been studied in the court session. The judge shall interrupt such statements and explain to the jurors that they shall not take the given circumstances into account when passing the verdict.

Article 337. Retorts of the Parties and the Last Plea of the Defendant

1. After the end of the parties' presentations, all the participants in them shall have the right to a retort. The right of the last retort belongs to the counsel for the defence and to the defendant.

2. To the defendant shall be granted the right to the past plea in conformity with Article 293 of the present Code.

Article 338. Raising Questions to Be Resolved by the Jurors

1. The judge shall formulate in writing the questions, subject to resolution by the jurors, with an account for the results of the judicial investigation and the parties' presentations, shall read them out and hand them in to the parties.

2. The parties shall have the right to make comments on the content and the formulation of the questions and to submit proposals on raising new questions. In this case the judge shall have no right to refuse the defendant or his counsel for the defence in raising questions about the existence of the factual circumstances on the criminal case excluding the defendant's responsibility for the perpetrated crime or entailing his responsibility for a less serious crime.

3. For the time of the discussion and the formulation of the questions, the jurors shall depart from the courtroom.

4. The judge shall finally formulate the questions, subject to resolution by the jurors, with an account for the parties' comments and proposals, and shall enter them into the list of questions, which he shall sign.

5. The list of questions shall be read out in the presence of the jurors and shall be handed over to the senior juror. Before they depart to the retiring room, the jurors shall have the right to receive from the presiding justice explanations concerning the ambiguities in their comprehension of the questions put to them, while not touching upon the substance of the probable answers to these questions.

Article 339. Content of Questions Put to the Jurors

1. On every act, with the perpetration of which the defendant is charged, three basic questions shall be put:

2. In the list of questions may be put only one basic question, on the defendant's being guilty, which is in fact a combination of the questions, pointed out in the first part of this Article.

3. After the basic question about the defendant's being guilty, private questions may be put on such circumstances that affect the extent of the guilt or change its character, or entail the defendant's relief from liability. If necessary, questions on the degree to which the criminal intention was carried out may also be raised, on the reasons, by force of which the act was not brought to an end and on the extent and the character of the complicity of each of the defendants in the perpetration of the crime. The questions, making it possible to establish the guilt of the defendant in committing a less serious crime, shall also be admissible, unless this aggravates the position of the defendant or interferes with his right to the defence.

4. If the defendant is recognized as guilty, the question is put whether he deserves lenience.

5. Not to be put, either separately or in the composition of other questions, shall be questions, demanding from the jurors a juridical qualification of the defendant's status (on his past criminal record), as well as the other questions, requiring an authentically juridical estimate when the jurors are passing their verdict.

6. The formulation of questions shall not allow that in any answer to them may be contained a recognizing of the defendant to be guilty of the perpetration of an act, for which the public prosecutor has not brought a charge against him or does not support the charge at the moment when the questions are raised.

7. The questions, subject to resolution by the jurors, shall be put with respect to every defendant separately.

8. The questions shall be put in the formulations, comprehensive for the jurors.

Article 340. The Charging Word of the Presiding Justice

1. Before the college of jurors departs to the retiring room for passing a verdict, the presiding justice shall address the jurors with the charging word.

2. When pronouncing the charging word, the presiding justice shall be prohibited to express in any form his own opinion on the questions, put to the jury.

3. The presiding justice in his charging word shall:

4. The presiding justice shall end his charging word by reminding the jurors about the content of the oath they have taken and shall draw their attention to the fact that if they pass a verdict of guilty, they may still recognize that the defendant deserves leniency.

5. Having heard out the charging word of the presiding justice and having got acquainted with the questions put to them, the jurors shall have the right to receive from him additional explanations.

6. The parties have the right to put forth in the court session their objections to the content of the charging word of the presiding justice on the motives of his violating the principle of objectivity and impartiality.

Article 341. Secret of the Jurors' Conference

1. After the