The ratio of pre-investigation verification and deprivation of immunity from criminal prosecution
Authors: Stel'mah Vladimir 
Published: October 2021

Relevance of the research topic. The Constitution of the Russian Federation establishes the equality of all subjects before the law and the court. However, the law establishes categories of citizens with immunity (immunity from criminal prosecution). Immunity was not a personal privilege and could be waived by the decision of a competent public authority. The moment of deprivation of immunity falls at the stage of initiation of criminal proceedings. The problem arises of the ratio of procedures for deprivation of immunity and pre-investigation verification, since the relevant actions are not simply regulated by different laws, but have a different legal nature.

Setting of a problem. In criminal proceedings the procedure for depriving a person of immunity must be followed in order to bring to justice a person who has immunity from criminal prosecution. In the science of criminal procedure no distinction was made between pre-investigation verification and deprivation of integrity in full. It is not clear whether the state authorities that decided on the deprivation of immunity were involved in criminal proceedings, what issues should be clarified within the framework of the deprivation of immunity and the extent of the rights of the person in respect of whom the question was raised.

Research objectives and methods. The purpose of the study is to determine the ratio of procedures for deprivation of immunity from criminal prosecution and pre-investigation verification. The objectives of the study are to investigate the legal nature of the deprivation of immunity from criminal prosecution; distinguish between this procedure and pre-investigation verification; review the criminal procedure situation of the authorities involved in the deprivation of immunity; summarize the rights of the person in respect of whom the issue of deprivation of liberty is being addressed. The methodological basis of the study was the dialectical-materialistic method, as well as the general scientific methods of scientific knowledge: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, formal-logical, systemic.

Results and key conclisions. Deprivation of immunity is a complex intersectoral procedure, which has a constitutional, criminal procedure and administrative-legal nature at the same time. The question of deprivation of immunity is resolved by the competent public authorities (often the highest public authorities), which are not ordinary participants in criminal proceedings, but resolve certain criminal procedural issues.

The person in respect of whom the question of deprivation of immunity is decided should be granted rights similar to those granted to protect against criminal prosecution: to bring his position to the competent authority; qualified legal aid; to appeal against the decision. In the course of deprivation of immunity, the principle of presumption of innocence, which has a specific refraction, applies. The terms of the deprivation of immunity procedure exist separately from the terms of the pre-investigation check. In the future the ratio of initiation of criminal proceedings and deprivation of integrity should be changed. A decision must first be taken to initiate a case and then a procedure must be followed to remove immunity from criminal prosecution.