MOSCOW, May 24 (RAPSI) – The Russian Supreme Court has limited the grounds valid for appealing against actions undertaken by investigative authorities through courts, a draft prepared by the Court reads.

“Decisions and actions (inaction) of officials, whose powers are not related to prosecution of crimes in pretrial proceedings, should not be subject to appeals” through courts, according to the document.

The Supreme Court explained that, for instance, actions of a prosecutor supervising investigative authorities, or prosecuting an action on behalf of the government, as well as actions of a head of a remand prison, cannot be appealed against under the provisions of the respective article of the Russia’s Criminal Code.

The Supreme Court also determined that actions or inaction of prosecutor’s office officials relating to review of complaints on the lawfulness of final court rulings should be excluded from the list of grounds valid for court hearings. In cases where complaining parties disagree with the respective orders on the part of prosecutors or heads of investigative units, not the fact of dismissal of such complaints by the said officials, but only their direct actions (inaction), which might result in infringement on the Constitutional rights and freedoms of participants in criminal proceedings, or impediment to citizens’ access to justice, should be examined in courts.

The document also clarifies that the decisions, the lawfulness and justification of which is vested exclusively with courts trying criminal cases on merits, should not be appealed through courts. According to the Supreme Court, such decisions include, for instance, refusals to carry out procedural actions with regard to collection and examination of evidence on the part of investigators, investigators’ indictment orders, commissioning of expert evidence and so on.