There were several evidence evaluation systems in the history. Torture with fire, water, which was used as a proof in the Middle Ages, later transformed into a formal evidence system. After the bourgeois revolutions the system of formal evidence was changed into the principle of free evidence evaluation by internal conviction. The purpose of the evaluation of evidence is to check its admissibility, concern, certainty and sufficiency. Any material to be recognised as evidence must meet all the requirements. In the current Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Lithuania (CCP) the range of subjects evaluating evidence was narrowed in comparison with the former CCP valid till 1 May 2003. According to the current CCP, evidence is evaluated by judges. Other participants of criminal procedings can also evaluate the collected material, but only judges can recognise the collected material as evidence. The evaluation of evidence by other participants of criminal proceedings cannot affect courts decisions. The guarantees of judicial independence ensure free formation of internal conviction. The CCP provides that the full analysis of all the circumstances and the rule of law base the internal conviction. Indeed, other factors also influence the formation of internal conviction: the level of legal consciousness, socio - historical, psychological aspects, the collegiality of criminal case hearing. Separate kinds of evidence have their own specific nature requiring different... [to full text]

Pirminis dėmesys neteisėtų nuteisimų problemai buvo išskirtinai susijęs su atskiromis bylomis ir pavieniais išteisinimų atvejais, tačiau vėliau šis reiškinys susilaukė didesnio mokslinio susidomėjimo. Pripažįstant, jog neteisėtai nuteisti asmenys ir visuomenė patiria didelę žalą, plačiau imtasi analizuoti ir valstybės civilinės deliktinės atsakomybės tokiais atvejais klausimas. Galiojantys nacionaliniai įstatymai, Tarptautinis Pilietinių ir Politinių Teisių Paktas, Europos Žmogaus Teisių Konvencija įtvirtina asmens teisę siekti kompensacijos neteisėtų nuteisimų, suėmimų ir sulaikymų atvejais, tačiau atlikti tyrimai visgi rodo, jog nevisada užtikrinamos išteisintųjų ar asmenų, kurių atžvilgiu procesas nutraukiamas reabilituojančiais pagrindais, teisės į deramą kompensaciją. Pasigendant tyrimų susijusiu klausimu Lietuvoje, šiuo darbu mėginama išsiaiškinti, ar asmuo turi teisę reikalauti iš valstybės atlyginti su bylos tyrimu susijusias išlaidas, patirtą turtinę ir neturtinę žalą, nuostolius, ir ar valstybė turi pareigą šią žalą atlyginti, kuomet asmenys visiškai išteisinami arba procesas jų atžvilgiu nutraukiamas reabilituojančiais pagrindais. Darbe apžvelgiami įvairūs susiję probleminiai aspektai, atliekama Europos Žmogaus Teisių Teismo bei Lietuvos teismų praktikos analizė. Pateikiama apžvalga, kaip šie klausimai reglamentuojami ir kokios kompensavimo sistemos taikomos įvairiose valstybėse, bei kokia yra šios teisės įtvirtinimo reikšmė visuomenei, valstybei ir konkrečiam... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The initial focus on the issue of wrongful convictions (miscarriages of justice, judicial errors or errors of justice) was exclusively related to the research into individual cases of acquitted persons, but this subject has also been recently analysed by the scholars of criminal and civil law. Unfortunately, in Lithuania no significant reasearches on this matter have been produced so far, and this master thesis is an attempt to analyse the aspects relating to the compensation probabilities for the wrongfully convicted, arrested and detained people in Lithuania as well as in other jurisdictions. While generally accepting the extremely severe negative consequences for the unjustified restrictions or deprivations over the basic human right – the right to freedom – the indemnification aspects are usually left aside. This question is also problematic due to its interdisciplinary nature: the unlawful actions of the investigators, prosecutors or the court have to be proven and the person has to be convicted under the criminal acts or criminal procedure acts; yet, the compensation for those actions is awarded following civil law procedures provided it fulfills the prerequisites set by civil laws. The institution of the civil tort liability of the state is analysed in regard of this specific matter. The applicable Lithuanian legislation, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms refer... [to full text]

Weber’s discussion of ethics in his famous lecture (and then essay) Politics as a Vocation (1919) clearly indicates that two possible ethical stances, the ethic of conviction and the ethic of responsibility, are rooted in ‘distinct and irreconcilably opposed principles’. Throughout Politics as a Vocation, it is the ethic of responsibility that appears to be endorsed by Weber as suited for political life. Yet, Weber concludes his essay by claiming that a combined ethic is ideal for a political vocation. This makes Weber’s position regarding the ideal ethical stance for a man who has a ‘true political calling’ appear contradictory: the ethics are opposites but somehow to be combined. Commentators have mostly concluded that, for Weber, the ethic of responsibility is the ideal ethic for politics. That appears further in accord with the fact that a key concern of the speech in its historical context was to warn political students of the dangers associated with an ethic of conviction. Weber, as a realist, was especially critical of a stance that disregarded the corrupted nature of the world, which the ethic of responsibility alone seems to accept. Politicians with single-minded convictions were responsible for Germany’s political stalemate, supporting the fact that the ethic of conviction should not be deemed acceptable in politics. And yet there is much this position neglects by opting for only one of the two ethics, by concluding that only the ethic of responsibility is appropriate for political vocation. My thesis offers something different; something I admit is ambitious. What I propose is the synthesis of the opposition, of finding a way to combine the two irreconcilably opposed ethics.

Weber’s discussion of ethics in his famous lecture (and then essay) Politics as a Vocation (1919) clearly indicates that two possible ethical stances, the ethic of conviction and the ethic of responsibility, are rooted in ‘distinct and irreconcilably opposed principles’. Throughout Politics as a Vocation, it is the ethic of responsibility that appears to be endorsed by Weber as suited for political life. Yet, Weber concludes his essay by claiming that a combined ethic is ideal for a political vocation. This makes Weber’s position regarding the ideal ethical stance for a man who has a ‘true political calling’ appear contradictory: the ethics are opposites but somehow to be combined. Commentators have mostly concluded that, for Weber, the ethic of responsibility is the ideal ethic for politics. That appears further in accord with the fact that a key concern of the speech in its historical context was to warn political students of the dangers associated with an ethic of conviction. Weber, as a realist, was especially critical of a stance that disregarded the corrupted nature of the world, which the ethic of responsibility alone seems to accept. Politicians with single-minded convictions were responsible for Germany’s political stalemate, supporting the fact that the ethic of conviction should not be deemed acceptable in politics. And yet there is much this position neglects by opting for only one of the two ethics, by concluding that only the ethic of responsibility is appropriate for political vocation. My thesis offers something different; something I admit is ambitious. What I propose is the synthesis of the opposition, of finding a way to combine the two irreconcilably opposed ethics.

In a highly complex culture, there are numerous factors that influence ones life. The more industrialized societies promote tremendous structure for the entire population. The past World War II era has been labeled "The Age of Anxiety" (28, p.3). In some respects children are being forced to mature at an earlier age. The "storm and stress" period of the adolescent is receiving considerable recognition in our current literature and the adults are taking on increasing amounts of structure which are all resulting in more complex culture.

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Dans toutes les étapes d'un procès pénal, dès son ouverture jusqu'à sa clôture et le prononcé du verdict, le juge dispose d'un pouvoir particulier, dit "discrétionnaire", qui n'est pas soumis à un contrôle par une cour supérieure. La latitude du pouvoir discrétionnaire du juge pénal a suscité plusieurs enjeux afin de déterminer sa nature juridique et son étendue. À plusieurs reprises, l'ampleur de ce pouvoir a aussi conduit à l'enchevêtrer avec certaines notions voisines, telles que le pouvoir arbitraire, pouvoir souverain et l'intime conviction du juge. En outre, dans le but de prévenir tout risque de pouvoir arbitraire, le législateur a imposé à la Cour d'assises, sous la loi n° 939-2011 du 10 août 2011, de motiver sa décision. Nonobstant, le pouvoir discrétionnaire demeure toujours pourvu d'une portée large durant le déroulement du procès. En conséquence, ce pouvoir produit des effets contestables sur le principe de l'impartialité du juge et celui de l'égalité des citoyens devant la loi. Dans cette optique, on estime opportun de traiter, d'une part, la concordance entre le pouvoir discrétionnaire du juge et le concept de la justice, et d'autre part, l'impact de son opinion subjective sur la mise en œuvre de la justice. Cette étude souligne aussi l'exercice du pouvoir discrétionnaire par le juge notamment en relation avec la prise en considération des preuves et le choix de la peine. À cet égard, cette étude a été mise en lumière sous certains systèmes juridiques arabes et étrangers. / At the various stages of the proceedings, from the start of the trial until its closure and the pronunciation of the verdict, the judge has a specific power called "discretionary". Such power is not subject to the control of a supreme court. The latitude of discretion of the judge raises several issues to determine its legal nature and essence. At several occasions, the extent of this power has also created a confusion with some related concepts, such as arbitrary power, sovereign power and the intimate conviction of the judge. In addition, to prevent any risk of arbitrary power, the legislator has imposed the Criminal Court, under Law No. 939-2011 of 10 August 2011, to provide a motivation of its sentence. Notwithstanding this obligation, the scope of such discretion remains wide during the trial. Consequently, it greatly affects the principle of impartiality of the judge and the principle of equality of citizens before the law. In this light, we consider appropriate to study, firstly, the extent of compatibility between this power and the ideological concept of justice, and the impact of his personal view to implement the justice. Secondly, we emphasize the exercise of the discretionary power by the judge with regard to the rules of evidence and the choice of sentence. The study also highlighted some foreign and Arab legal systems.

Magister Legum - LLM / Contrary to Common perception, corruption is not all that ails Africa. It is only a component of the multifaceted economic criminality that leads to illicit capital flight from developing states and those undergoing political transition. The siphoning away of economic resources has a devastating impact on such countries, both economically and socially. This leads to an erosion of public confidence in government departments and in the administration of justice generally. The clandestine nature of economic criminality makes it particularly hard to prosecute. There has thus been an international consensus that asset recovery would be the most apt mode of deterrence and reparation. Having its genesis in the 1989 Vienna convention, asset recovery has now become a useful tool with which developing countries can recoup some of the assets plundered by criminals. The United Nations Convention against corruption has also made it possible for states to recover stolen assets by way of non--‐criminal or non--‐conviction—based procedures. The main challenge for developing states is to make international treaties part of their national law. The democratization of former dictatorial states, especially those in Africa, also means that whatever international norms are domesticated in national legislation, should be in line with the tenets of their respective democratic constitutions, thus making them legally irreproachable. This paper evaluates Zambia’s Forfeiture of proceeds of crime Act. It discusses Zambia’s asset recovery provisions against the backdrop of international benchmarks and the laws of a few other countries that also have asset recovery laws. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations.

Notre thèse se propose d’analyser l’expérience des jurés populaires en cour d’assises. À partir d’entretiens réalisés avec d’anciens jurés ainsi que des Présidents d’assises et d’observations de procès d’assises, nous souhaitons montrer que l’expérience du jugement déstabilise les certitudes des jurés. Le changement qui se produit chez ces jurés est analysé à partir de la notion de conversion démocratique. Cette analogie doit nous permettre d’expliquer le processus qui se met en place chez les jurés tout au long de leur expérience. Notre thèse analyse donc un dispositif de parole à portée démocratique. Sont ainsi étudiés le rituel de la procédure, la construction de l’intime conviction et le rôle du président dans la formation du jugement. Ces éléments, mis en parallèle avec l’expérience des jurés, permettent d’identifier les différentes étapes de leur conversion. La construction de leur intime conviction, analysée comme une véritable faculté de juger, est au cœur du processus de conversion démocratique. L’expérience du jugement s’avère donc être aussi importante pour les jurés que nous avons rencontré, que pour la démocratie elle-même. / Our thesis wishes to analyze the experience of juries inside criminal justice. From various interviews made with former jurors and Presidents of criminal justice as well as observations of real court sessions, we would like to show that the practice of judgement has a disturbing effect on the jurors’ convictions. The shift occurring inside the jurors’ mind is analysed through the concept of democratic conversion. This analogy will enable us to explain the process taking place inside each juror all along their experience. Our thesis analyses this “oral system” as a process heading towards democratization. Thus, we will study the ritual of penal process, the building of the absolute conviction and the Presidents’ contribution inside the final verdict. Those elements, compared with the experience of the jurors, give us the opportunity to identify the several steps of their conversion. All of these changes are strongly linked with the importance that the jurors give to the decision they have to make. The building of their absolute conviction, analysed as a true ability to judge, is at the core of the process of democratic conversion. The experience of judgement tends to be as crucial for the jurors we’ve met as for the democracy itself.

La procédure fiscale répressive s’est ouverte à une large prise en compte des droits du contribuable. De la vérification à la perquisition, en passant par l’interrogation de l’individu, le pouvoir fiscal se trouve encadré, contrôlé, obligé de se déployer par référence à un ordre supérieur. La recherche des faits et l’administration de la preuve véhiculent une haute idée tant de l’individu que des garanties de justice. La protection procédurale, y compris en ce qu’elle requiert de l’accusation fiscale de faire la preuve complète des composantes de l’infraction et oblige l’Etat de tout mettre en œuvre pour conjurer l’arbitraire, laisse intacte le pouvoir de persuasion de l’administration des impôts. Massives, les facilités de preuve de celle-ci sont sans commune mesure avec les possibilités du contribuable, ce justiciable qui demeure tout de même un assujetti quelle que soit sa capacité argumentative. Cette latitude procède de la diversité des mécanismes de répression et de preuve mis à la disposition des services fiscaux. Elle découle aussi et surtout de l’approche de la culpabilité : afin de consolider le pouvoir fiscal, le système juridique a créé la théorie de l’infraction délibérée et habilite le fisc à s’y fonder, devant le juge pénal comme le juge de l’imposition, pour l’emporter facilement. / The repressive tax procedure has opened up to a wide consideration of the taxpayer's rights. From the verification to the search, through the interrogation of the individual, the fiscal power is framed, controlled, forces to be deployed in reference to a higher order. The search for facts and the administration of the evidence convey a high idea of both the individual and the guarantees of justice.Procedural protection, including in that it requires the tax charge to fully prove the components of the offense and obliges the state to do everything possible to ward off arbitrariness, leaves the tax administration’s power of persuasion intact. Massive, the proof facilities of this one are out of proportion to the possibilities of the taxpayer, that person who remains a taxable person regardless of his argumentative capacity.This flexibility stems from the diversity of the repressive and evidential mechanisms available to the tax services. It also follows from the approach of guilt: in order to consolidate fiscal power, the legal system has created the theory of deliberate infringement and empowers the tax authorities to rely on it, before the criminal judge as well as taxation judge, to win easily.