The draft of the new Criminal Procedure Code was adopted in the first reading

The Supreme Council voted to adopt the draft Criminal Procedure Code in the first reading. The new law was developed by the Committee on Legislation, Protection of Rights and Freedoms of Citizens. A working group has been meeting with the participation of representatives of relevant ministries and departments, judicial bodies and the Chamber of Advocates since April 2023. The experience of many countries, including Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, was studied. This experience was adapted to the realities of our republic, noted Galina Antyufeeva, Deputy Chairperson of the Supreme Council and Chairperson of the Legislation Committee, in a comment to the press service of the Supreme Council. 

The new Criminal Procedure Code will improve among other things the work of law enforcement agencies, optimize the timeframes for considering criminal cases, supplement preventive measures for defendants with new institutions: house arrest and a ban on certain actions, clarify the procedure for cassation and supervisory appeal. It is proposed to enshrine the possibility of a pre-trial agreement on cooperation between the suspect and the investigation, and a judicial fine, introduced as an alternative to criminal liability, will allow for mitigating circumstances to be taken into account and law enforcement to be more humane. The Supreme Council adopted amendments to 15 related laws in the first reading in addition to the draft of the new Criminal Procedure Code. The relevant committee will continue to work on the law-in-draft in preparation for the second reading, taking into account the comments and suggestions.