Judge’s Discretion in Identifying Contradiction in Provisions of the Criminal Code to the Constitution of Ukraine

Abstract

This article addresses the problem of the possibility of exercising implicit powers of the court that are not defined by the criminal procedure law but are provided by the Constitution of Ukraine. Such dilemmas arise in cases when the court comes to the conclusion that a certain provision of the criminal law does not comply with the Constitution of Ukraine. According to the formal approach, the criminal procedure law does not give the court the power to assess the criminal law for compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine.The main hypothesis is that the conflict between a judge’s lack of power to assess the quality of criminal law and the need to ensure respect for human rights should be resolved in the light of the axiological nature of due process, namely human rights. Through this concept, the author argues that in cases where the application of the criminal law will violate the Constitution of Ukraine, the court must reasonably establish such a contradiction with the Basic Law and not apply the relevant provision. This approach requires the formulation of a methodology for the casual assessment of the constitutionality of the provisions of criminal law in order to prevent the arbitrary application of universal values and categories of constitutional law in the course of criminal proceedings.The author considers it possible to propose the following algorithm for assessing the provisions of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for compliance with the principle of legality in criminal law: literal interpretation of the provision (more than one interpretation will indicate uncertainty), analysis of its application (inconsistent practice at the cassation level indicates uncertainty). It is also necessary to assess the complexity of the area covered by the provisions of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the possibility of eliminating doubts about its application by seeking professional advice from a lawyer. In the case of the formulation of a blanket disposition, it is necessary to additionally study the existence of powers to adopt the norm to which the criminal law refers and its certainty.