PECULIARITIES OF ORDERING AND CONDUCTING ENGINEERING-TECHNICAL AND ELECTROTECHNICAL FORENSIC EXAMINATIONS IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical, regulatory, and practical aspects of ordering and conducting forensic engineering-technical and electrotechnical examinations in criminal proceedings in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing technological complexity of objects that become the subject of criminal investigation‒industrial equipment, electrical installations, metering systems, and construction facilities ‒ and by the increasing share of proceedings in which establishing the circumstances of an offense is impossible without specialized engineering knowledge. The purpose of the article is to identify the specific features of ordering and conducting such examinations and to outline ways of improving practice. The methodological basis comprises general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction), as well as formal-legal and comparative-legal methods applied to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine «On Forensic Examination», and the Instruction on the Appointment and Conduct of Forensic Examinations and Expert Studies. The article substantiates the praxeological and epistemological approaches to the expert's activity, characterizes the regulatory framework and classification of engineering-technical examinations, and examines engineering-mechanical examination as an independent type. Particular attention is paid to electrotechnical studies of emergency modes, fires of electrical origin, and unauthorized consumption of electricity, as well as to examinations in the field of occupational safety. The organization of complex examinations, the problem of the expert's competence and the role of the expert's conclusion in the process of proof are analyzed. It is concluded that the quality of examinations directly determines the effectiveness of criminal prosecution and the protection of participants' rights in proceedings, and that updating methodological support, improving expert training, and introducing digital technologies are priority directions for development.References1. Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine: Law of Ukraine No. 4651-VI of April 13, 2012. Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4651-17 [in Ukrainian].2. On Forensic Examination: Law of Ukraine No. 4038-XII of February 25, 1994. Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4038-12 [in Ukrainian].3. Instruction on the Appointment and Conduct of Forensic Examinations and Expert Studies: approved by Order of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine No. 53/5 of October 8, 1998 and retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z0705-98 [in Ukrainian].4. On Occupational Safety: Law of Ukraine No. 2694-XII of October 14, 1992. Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2694-12 [in Ukrainian].5. Criminal Code of Ukraine: Law of Ukraine No. 2341-III of April 5, 2001. Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14 [in Ukrainian].