SPECIFIC FEATURES OF INVOLVING A SPECIALIST IN THE PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATION OF OFFENSES RELATED TO THE MISAPPROPRIATION OF PROPERTY AT METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY ENTERPRISES COMMITTED BY OFFICIALS

Abstract

The article examines the specific features of the procedural framework and tactical approaches to involving a specialist in the pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses related to the misappropriation of property at metallurgical industry enterprises committed by officials. The regulatory provisions of criminal procedural legislation concerning the procedural status of the specialist, his or her functions, and forms of participation in investigative (search) actions are analyzed. It is substantiated that the sectoral specificity of metallurgical production, the complexity of technological cycles, the multi-level nature of business operations, and the peculiarities of accounting and warehouse record-keeping objectively necessitate the use of special knowledge in the fields of metallurgy, economics, accounting, information technology, and technical control. The article highlights the typical areas of specialist involvement during the inspection of the crime scene, production facilities, warehouses, and official offices of responsible persons, as well as during the examination and analysis of primary accounting, production-technological, and electronic documentation. The significance of special knowledge for detecting signs of official forgery, document falsification, distortion of accounting data, establishing the mechanism of shortages, and identifying methods of concealing misappropriation is revealed. Particular attention is paid to the role of the specialist in the proper interpretation of trace evidence, digital evidence, and material traces of criminal activity, taking into account the specific characteristics of metallurgical production. It is concluded that the proper and timely involvement of a specialist contributes to improving the quality of proof, ensures the completeness, comprehensiveness, and objectivity of the pre-trial investigation, and creates the necessary preconditions for forming an adequate evidentiary basis in criminal proceedings of this category.