Section 159. Inspection

(1) An inspection is an investigative action during the course of which the performer of the investigative action directly detects, determines, and records the features of an object, if the possibility exists that such object is related to the criminal offence being investigated.

(2) In order to find traces of a criminal offence, and to ascertain other significant conditions, a visual inspection may be performed of the site of the event, the terrain, the premises, vehicle, item, document, corpse, animal, or another object.

Section 162. Inspection of the Location of an Event

(1) An inspection of the location of an event is an inspection of a specific place and the objects located therein, if such inspection is performed after receipt of information regarding a committed criminal offence, and if there are sufficient grounds for thinking that a criminal offence has taken place or is continuing to take place in such location.

(2) If an inspection of the location of an event has been performed incompletely, and doubts or additional questions have arisen, an additional inspection of the location of the event may be performed. If essential violations of procedural order have been allowed for in an inspection of the location of an event, a repeated inspection of the location of the event may be performed. An additional or repeated inspection of the location of an event shall be performed in conformity with the provisions of Section 163 of this Law.

(3) During the course of an inspection of the location of an event, the performer of the investigative action may remove documents and objects with traces of a criminal offence. Objects and documents, the circulation of which is prohibited by law, shall be removed regardless of the connection of such objects or documents with the specific criminal proceedings. The removal of objects and documents shall be a component of an inspection of the location of an event.


Section 163. Inspection of terrain, Premises, Vehicle, or Object

(1) If terrain, premises, vehicle, or object is related to a committed criminal offence, an inspection of such terrain, premises, vehicle, or object may be performed.

(2) An inspection of a publicly inaccessible terrain or premises, the objects located in such terrain or premises, as well as a vehicle, may be performed only with the consent of the user of such terrain, premises, or vehicle, or a decision of an investigating judge.

(2^1) In exceptional cases the inspection specified in Paragraph two of this Section, unless it is the inspection of the location of an event, may be performed by a decision of a person directing the proceedings. An investigator shall perform the inspection by a consent of a prosecutor. The person directing the proceedings shall, not later than on the next working day, notify the investigating judge of the inspection conducted by presenting the inspection protocol and materials justifying the necessity and emergency of the inspection.

(3) Terrain, premises, or vehicles located in the ownership, possession, or usage of physical and legal persons shall be inspected, as far as possible, in the presence of such persons or of the representative thereof.

(4) In complying with the emergency nature of an inspection of the location of an event, the consent of a person is not necessary in order to enter the location of the event.

Section 179. Searches

(1) A search is an investigative action whose content is the search by force of premises, terrain, vehicles, and individual persons for the purpose of finding and removing the object being sought, if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the object being sought is located in the site of the search.

(2) A search shall be conducted for the purpose of finding objects, documents, corpses, or persons being sought that are significant in criminal proceedings.

Section 224. Surveillance of an Object or a Site

Surveillance of an object or a site shall be performed, on the basis of a decision of an investigating judge, if there are grounds to believe that information regarding facts included in circumstances to be proven may be acquired as a result of surveillance.