MAIN HEARING ACCORDING TO THE NEW SERBIAN CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE: SURVEY IN PRACTICE
MAIN HEARING ACCORDING TO THE NEW SERBIAN CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE: SURVEY IN PRACTICE

Summary/Abstract: The main hearing is the central part of the criminal procedure. In Serbia, the reform of the national criminal procedure legislation has brought about numerous changes related to this stage of criminal proceedings. Numerous objections have been addressed to the almost entirely new legal text. In an attempt to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the new legislation and observe how the prescribed rules are applied in practice, the authors have conducted an empirical research by attending 205 main hearings which were conducted under the rules of the new Criminal Procedure Code. The research covers a huge number of related issues but, given the page limit, this paper will focus on individual issues observed in trial proceedings. The focal point of reference is the examination of witness, but the authors also consider a number of other issues: the examination of expert witness, the delay of the trial, and the use of a video-link as a novelty introduced owing to the technological achievements of the modern era. The article is organized into several parts. The authors first provide a theoretical background of the issue under consideration and, then, present and discuss the research results provided in tables. In the third part of the article, the authors draw specific conclusions about the current practice in trials proceedings.

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