Analysis of corruption crime detection mechanisms and identification of areas for improvement

Corruption is a factor that hinders the development of civil society, undermines democratic values, and contributes to legal nihilism and the spread of other types of criminal offences. Therefore, effective counteraction to corruption-related crimes, in particular their effective detection, is a guarantee of the state’s sustainable development and the safeguarding of its security, which becomes particularly relevant when it is necessary to defend sovereignty by repelling external armed aggression. The study aimed to determine the state of the system of institutional, social and information-analytical means for detecting corruption-related criminal offences, to identify problems in this area and to develop ways of resolving them. The methodology involved the use of logical-legal and systemic-structural methods, through which the provisions of a number of laws and subordinate regulatory acts, as well as the practice of their implementation, were analysed. In addition, the expert assessment method was used, the results of which were analysed in conjunction with the findings of scientific research in the fields of operational- investigative, criminal procedural, intelligence and counter-intelligence activities. Based on the research findings, steps were proposed to improve the legal regulation of the system of means for detecting criminal offences of corruption. These measures include: granting operational units a wide range of powers and tools for gathering initial intelligence, which may be used before the opening of a criminal investigation; legally defining the scope of operational units’ authority to recruit informants from among employees of enterprises, institutions and organisations with corruption risks for the operational monitoring of these entities (to detect corruption offences); establishing a list and description of the actions such informants may take to gather the necessary information; standardising the remuneration of informants at the level of the reward provided for by law for whistleblowers. The practical significance of this work lies in the possibility of using its results to improve existing legislation and subordinate regulatory acts concerning the fight against crime and the prevention of corruption