DIGITAL EVIDENCE AND CRIMINAL LAW COOPERATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Keywords:
Key words: digital evidence, criminal law cooperation, digital age, national level, EU levelAbstract
Perpetrators of crimes, especially those that can be classified as economic crime, use various means to cover up the commission of crimes. These means include the use of information technologies, and many of these crimes are difficult to prove without special knowledge. Due to that, the detection and proving of these criminal acts is extremely difficult.
During the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, there was a great need for the use of electronic evidence in criminal proceedings. Therefore, in an official communication, the European Commission addressed the European Parliament, the European Social Council and the Committee of the Regions by submitting a document on digitalization at the level of the European Union offered recommendations for overcoming the identified problems.
In this paper we started from the assumption that the national legislation of the Republic of Serbia needs to be further improved in order to be able to use electronic evidence at the national level and during criminal cooperation at the international level. Our conclusions are based on an analysis of international regulations, EU documents and national legislation.
References
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Law on Ratification of the Convention on High-Tech Crime, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 19/2009.
Law on Ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and Additional Protocols, Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - International Agreements, No. 6/2001.
Law on Electronic Document, Electronic Identification and Trust Services in Electronic Business - ZED, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 94/17, 52/2021.
Law on Organization and Competence of State Bodies in the Suppression of Organized Crime, Terrorism and Corruption, Official Gazette of Republic of Serbia, , No. 94/2016, 87/2018-other law).
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Stamenković, B., Živanović, S., Paunović, B. & Stevanović, I. (2017) Vodič za sudije i tužioce na temu visokotehnološkog kriminala i zaštite maloletnih lica u Srbiji. Belgrade, Save the Children. A practical guide to modern criminal law and practical examples. Podgorica: OSCE Mission to Montenegro.
Tinoco-Pastrana, Á (2020). The Proposal on Electronic Evidence in the European union. EuCLR European Criminal Law Review 1, 46-50, https://doi.org/10.30709/eucrim-2020-004 /. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Tropina, T. (2012). The Evolving Structure of Online Criminality. How Cybercrime is Getting Organised. EUCRIM 4/2012, 158-165, https://www.corteidh.or.cr/tablas/r15111.pdf. Accessed 20.8.2021.
T-CY Cloud Evidence Group, Criminal justice access to data in the cloud: cooperation with foreign’ service providers, 3 May 2016. https://www.coe.int/en/web/cybercrime/ceg. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Walken, C. (2018). Classification of Electronic Data for Criminal Law Purposes. Eucrim, 4, 226-234. https://doi.org/10.30709/eucrim-2018-023. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Biasiotti, M-A. (2017). A proposed electronic evidence exchange across the European Union. Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review 14(1): 1-12. https://journals.sas.ac.uk/deeslr/article/view/2337/2289- Accessed 20.8.2021.
CETS 185 – Explanatory Report to the Convention on Cybercrime (200.1). https://rm.coe.int/16800cce5b. Accessed 20.8.2021.
CoE Assessment report (2018). Assesment report on the acquisition and use of electronic evidence in criminal proceedings under domestic law in the countries of Southeast Europe and Turkey, version from March 5, 2018. https://rm.coe.int/3156-52-iproceeds-electronic-evidence-report-serbian/16807bdfe3. Accessed 20.8.2021.EC COM (2020) 710 final. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee of the Region, Digitalisation of justice in the European Union A toolbox of opportunities, Brussels, 2.12.2020. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/communication_digitalisation_en.pdf. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Council of Europe, Convention on Cybercrime (CETS No 185), Budapest, 23. 11. 2001, https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680081561. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Council of Europe, Cybercrime Division (2020), Summary report, Meeting of the 247 points of contact (CP) of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, November 2020. https://www.coe.int/en/web/cybercrime/all-reports. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2016). OJ C 202, 7. 6. 2016, p. 403-403. ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/treaty/char_2016/art_47/oj. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Criminal Procedure Code - CPC, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 72/2011, 101/2011, 121/2012, 32/2013, 45/2013, 55/2014, 35/2019, 27/2021 - US decision and 62/2021 - US decision.
Depauw, S. (2018). Electronic Evidence in Criminal Matters: How About E-Evidence Instruments 2.0. EuCLR European Criminal Law Review, 8(1), 62-82.
Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on the appointment of legal representatives for the purpose of gathering evidence in criminal proceedings, Strasbourg,17th of April 2018, COM(2018) 226 final, 2018/0107(COD), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2018%3A226%3AFIN, 20.8.2021.
Duranti, L., Rogers C. & Sheppard, A. (2020). Electronic Records and the Law of Evidence in Canada: The Uniform Electronic Evidence Act Twelve Years Later. Archivaria, 70, 95-124, https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/article/view/13296. Accessed 20.8.2021.
EC COM (2018) 225. Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European Production and Preservation Orders for electronic evidence in criminal matters. 17. 4. 2018. 2018/0108 (COD).
EC COM (2018) 226. Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on the appointment of legal representatives for the purpose of gathering evidence in criminal proceedings. 17. 4. 2018. 2018/0107(COD).
EC COM (2020) 710 final. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee of the Region, Digitalisation of justice in the European Union A toolbox of opportunities, Brussels, 2. 12. 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/communication_digitalisation_en.pdf. Accessed 20.8.2021.
EC ECEPRS: BRI (2021) 690522_EN. Briefing EU Legislation in Progress, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/etudes/BRIE. Accessed 20.8.2021.
EC COM (2020) 710 final. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Digitalisation of justice in the European Union, a toolbox of opportunities Brussels, 2.12.2020, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2020:710:FIN. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Enhanced Cooperation and Disclosure of Electronic Evidence: Towards a New Protocol to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, https://www.coe.int/en/web/cybercrime/enhanced-cooperation-and-disclosure-of-electronic-evidence-towards-a-new-protocol-to-the-budapest-convention. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Europol (2018). Internet Organised Crime throat Assessment (IOCTA), https://www.europol.europa.eu/activities-services/main-reports/internet-organised-crime-threat-assessment-iocta-2018. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Europol (2020). Internet Organised Crime throat Assessment (IOCTA), https://www.europol.europa.eu/activities-services/main-reports/internet-organised-crime-threat-assessment-iocta-2020. Accessed 20.8.2021.
General Data Protection Regulation (2016). Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC. OJ L 119, 4. 5. 2016, p. 1–88. ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Komlen Nikolić, L., Gvozdenović, R., Radulović, S., Milosavljević, A., Jerković, R., Živković, V., Živanović, S., Reljanović, M. & Aleksić, I. (2010). Suzbijanje visokotehnološkog kriminala. Beograd: Association of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors.
Law on Ratification of the Convention on High-Tech Crime, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 19/2009.
Law on Ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and Additional Protocols, Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - International Agreements, No. 6/2001.
Law on Electronic Document, Electronic Identification and Trust Services in Electronic Business - ZED, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 94/17, 52/2021.
Law on Organization and Competence of State Bodies in the Suppression of Organized Crime, Terrorism and Corruption, Official Gazette of Republic of Serbia, , No. 94/2016, 87/2018-other law).
Model Law of Electronice Evidence 2017). Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform.: The Commonwealth. https://thecommonwealth.org/sites/default/files/key_reform_pdfs/P15370_7_ROL_Model_Bill_Electronic_Evidence_0.pdf. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Press release, 12. 1. 2021. Darkmarket: world's largest illegal dark web marketplace taken down, press release, 12. 1. 2021. https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/darkmarket-worlds-largest-illegal-dark-web-marketplace-taken-down. Accessed 20.1.2020.
Stamenković, B., Balota, A., Pavličić, V., Paunović, B. & Backović, J. (2014). Visokotehnološki kriminal, A practical guide to contemporary criminal law and case studies. Podgorica: OSCE Mission to Montenegro.
Stamenković, B., Živanović, S., Paunović, B. & Stevanović, I. (2017) Vodič za sudije i tužioce na temu visokotehnološkog kriminala i zaštite maloletnih lica u Srbiji. Belgrade, Save the Children. A practical guide to modern criminal law and practical examples. Podgorica: OSCE Mission to Montenegro.
Tinoco-Pastrana, Á (2020). The Proposal on Electronic Evidence in the European union. EuCLR European Criminal Law Review 1, 46-50, https://doi.org/10.30709/eucrim-2020-004 /. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Tropina, T. (2012). The Evolving Structure of Online Criminality. How Cybercrime is Getting Organised. EUCRIM 4/2012, 158-165, https://www.corteidh.or.cr/tablas/r15111.pdf. Accessed 20.8.2021.
T-CY Cloud Evidence Group, Criminal justice access to data in the cloud: cooperation with foreign’ service providers, 3 May 2016. https://www.coe.int/en/web/cybercrime/ceg. Accessed 20.8.2021.
Walken, C. (2018). Classification of Electronic Data for Criminal Law Purposes. Eucrim, 4, 226-234. https://doi.org/10.30709/eucrim-2018-023. Accessed 20.8.2021.
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2021-11-26
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Criminalistic and Criminal Justice Aspects in Solving and Proving of Criminal Of
