Access to Expert Opinions for the Accused and Defense Counsel in Russian Criminal Proceedings: Gaps in Law and Judicial Practice Conflicts

Russian criminal procedure law does not explicitly require investigators to promptly disclose expert opinions to the suspect (accused) and their defense counsel upon receipt. At the same time, the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation lacks provisions allowing restrictions on the defense’s right to access such expert opinions. Both the defense and the prosecution may abuse their rights. The author argues that any restriction on the right of the accused to access an expert opinion should be permissible only by court order under Article 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. It is also necessary to provide guarantees to the defense to become familiar with the expert’s opinion as part of the preliminary investigation. The paper proposes amending Article 206 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation by introducing a new Part 3, which would permit restricting the accused and his defense attorney’s access to expert opinion solely by judicial authorization. The said court decision could set a specific timeframe for familiarization with the expert’s opinion, provided justified grounds exist.