THE BEGINNING OF A PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATION IN THE KAZAKH CRIMINAL PROCESS: THEORETICAL AND APPLIED PROBLEMS

The paper raises topical issues of the beginning of pre-trial investigation in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which were not resolved by the updated Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2014 (hereinafter referred to as the CPC of the Republic of Kazakhstan) and, thereby, gave rise to systemic problems of law enforcement. The purpose of the article is to conduct a comprehensive study of the problems of the initial stage of pre–trial investigation in the criminal process of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to identify their theoretical and legal nature and systemic contradictions caused by the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2014, as well as to substantiate the need for a conceptual rethinking and improvement of the regulatory framework of pre-trial proceedings. The authors employed universal and legal methods of scientific research, utilising tools of applied analytics. The achieved results are expressed in the fact that they consider not only gaps, conflicts or insufficient effectiveness of existing legislative innovations, but also make proposals to eliminate them within the framework of the tasks facing this stage. At the same time, the authors believe that the introduction of the latest innovations in the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan has altered the stage structure of domestic legal proceedings once again. The authors conclude that pre-trial proceedings should be considered an integral stage, comprising three key stages: initiation of a pre-trial investigation, implementation of procedural actions within the framework of the inquiry and preliminary investigation, and completion of the pre-trial stage. This approach differs from the established theoretical concepts that continue to dominate Russian criminal practice and in some other post-Soviet countries. Taking this into account, the authors also explore the possibility of developing a system and differentiating the grounds for initiating a pre-trial investigation, as well as introducing new mechanisms for their verification, taking into account the specific features of the generic jurisdiction of the recorded criminal violations.
The study of theoretical and applied issues raised in the scientific article led the authors of the article to the conclusion that, to resolve the problems identified in the article, it is necessary to make many changes and additions to the current version of some norms of the CPC of the Republic of Kazakhstan regulating the initial stage of pre-trial investigation.

1. Vyshinskij A.YA. Kurs ugolovnogo processa [The course of the criminal process]. 2-oe izd., M., 2020.-145 p. [In Russian]

2. Filimonov B.A. Osnovy ugolovnogo processa Germanii [Fundamentals of the German criminal procedure] 2-oe izd., M., 2022. -54 p. [In Russian]

3. Gucenko K.F. Osnovy ugolovnogo processa SSHA [Fundamentals of the US criminal procedure] 2-oe izd. M., 2020.-145 p. [In Russian]

4. Bobotov S.V. Pravosudie vo Francii [Justice in France]. 2-oe izd, M., 2024.-223 p. [In Russian]

5. Vallask E.V., Grigor'eva M. A., Danilova N. A., Elagina E. V., Larinkov A. A. Vozbuzhdenie ugolovnogo dela: ugolovno-processual'nyj i kriminalisticheskij aspekty: uchebnoe posobie [Initiation of a criminal case: criminal procedural and criminalistic aspects: textbook]. SPb., 2-oe izd. SPb., 2021.-155 p. [In Russian]

6. Ahpanov A.N., Han A.L. Preobrazovanie pervonachal'noj stadii ugolovnogo processa v Respublike Kazahstan: analiz novell zakonodatel'stva [Transformation of the initial stage of the criminal process in the Republic of Kazakhstan: analysis of new legislation]. Available at: — URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=37944034 [In Russian] (accessed: 08.01.2025).

7. Sarsenbaev T.E., Han A.L. Ugolovnyj process: Dosudebnoe proizvodstvo: Uchebnoe posobie [Criminal proceeding]. Available at: — URL: https://lib.ineu.edu.kz [In Russian] (accessed: 08.05.2025).

8. CHel'cov-Bebutov M.A. Kurs sovetskogo ugolovno-processual'nogo prava [The course of the Soviet criminal procedure law]. 2-oe izd - SPb., 2015. – 846 p. [In Russian]

9. Fojnickij I.YA. Kurs ugolovnogo sudoproizvodstva [The course of criminal proceedings] V 2-h tomah. – SPb., 2019. - 1023 p. [In Russian]

10. Ahpanov A.N. Voprosy pervonachal'nogo etapa dosudebnogo proizvodstva po ugolovnym delam [Issues of the initial stage of pre-trial proceedings in criminal cases] // Vestnik Evrazijskogo nacional'nogo universiteta imeni L.N. Gumilyova. Nauchnyj zhurnal. Seriya «YUridicheskie nauki». - 2013. - № 4. – P. 137-145. [In Russian]

11. Ahpanov A.N., Han A.L. Preobrazovanie pervonachal'noj stadii ugolovnogo processa v RK: analiz novel zakonodatel'stva [Transformation of the initial stage of the criminal process in the Republic of Kazakhstan: analysis of legislative innovations]// Sovremennye problemy kriminalistiki: Mat-ly mezhdunarodn. kruglogo stola, posvyashchennogo yubileyu professora K.V. Kim - Astana: KazGYUU, 2015. – P. 11-16. [In Russian]

12. Grinenko A.V. Ugolovnyj process: uchebnik [Criminal procedure: textbook] — 3-e izd., pererab. — M.: Norma, 2020.-557 p. [In Russian]