The Expert's Opportunities to Provide Additional Conclusions on Existing and Newly Raised Questions in his Testimony

The production of forensic examinations is important for establishing the objective truth in criminal cases. Making a fair decision in each specific case often requires the use of special knowledge possessed by experts. The current criminal procedural legislation regulates in detail the material and procedural aspects of the organization and implementation of forensic examinations, as well as the peculiarities of using the results of their conduct in court proceedings. Forensic experts are often called upon to participate in criminal proceedings. However, despite the developed legislative framework and large-scale law enforcement practice, a number of controversial issues still remain that affect the institution of «additional expert conclusions». The purpose of the presented study is to analyze the expert’s ability to provide additional conclusions on existing and newly raised questions in his testimony. The authors come to the conclusion that the current legislation rightly provides grounds for additional and repeated examinations, which allows in various situations related to both the ambiguity and incompleteness of the submitted expert opinion, and the presence of specific contradictions in it, to resort to appropriate examinations. Attention is focused on the need to appoint additional examinations when new questions and circumstances arise in the case, since their solution and accounting require the use of special knowledge, as well as full-fledged research in individual situations.