On Denial of Criminal Case Initiation and Termination of a Criminal Case Against Unidentified Persons in View of Full Payment of the Outstanding Amount and Respective Penalties, Fine Amount (Clause 7, Part 1, Art. 24 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation)

The authors analyze changes in federal legislation related to the investigator’s obligation to refuse to initiate a criminal case or to terminate a criminal case under Article 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation after compensation by the organization for damage. It is concluded that the changes made by the legislator can be interpreted ambiguously in law enforcement practice. The approach according to which Article 76.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Article 24 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation must be interpreted teleological and systematic that excludes the possibility of initiating a criminal case in rem after compensation for harm and provides for the obligation to terminate the criminal case after compensation for harm if the persons liable have not yet been identified.