EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE OF IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATIVE MECHANISMS FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE PROSECUTOR’S LAWFUL DEMANDS
Abstract
The article is devoted to studying the European experience in implementing legislative mechanisms for enforcing the lawful demands of the prosecutor, with the aim of their adaptation in Ukraine. It is determined that the national legal system faces the problem of ambiguous interpretation of the content and obligatory nature of prosecutorial demands, as their precise definition is absent in the current legislation. This creates gaps in law enforcement practice and necessitates harmonization with European standards, where legislative mechanisms for enforcing the prosecutor’s demands are more balanced and clearly delimited. Methodology. The research is based on a qualitative, normative-doctrinal, and comparative legal design (Qualitative, Normative-Doctrinal, and Comparative Legal Design). Comparative legal analysis was applied to contrast the regulation of the prosecutor’s office activity in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Great Britain, which are representatives of different legal families (Continental and Anglo-Saxon). The formal-legal method was used to diagnose gaps in the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Prosecutor’s Office’ regarding the essence and legal nature of the prosecutor’s lawful demand, and synthesis was used to substantiate proposals for improvement. Results. It has been established that in most democratic states, the prosecutor’s lawful demand has the nature of a preventive instrument, strictly limited to the scope of procedural competence. Two main models have been identified: imperative demands within the scope of criminal proceedings (Continental Europe) and recommendatory demands supported by judicial review mechanisms (Great Britain). It has been substantiated that the effectiveness of the prosecutorial influence depends on a clear legislative definition and the procedural form of the demand. It is proposed to improve the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Prosecutor’s Office’ by specifying the concept of a lawful demand and establishing effective control mechanisms, which will contribute to strengthening the legal guarantees of legality.
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