Section II
INSTITUTING CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, INQUIRY, AND PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATION
Chapter 13
MEASURES OF RESTRAINT
Article 155. Taking in custody
Taking in custody as a measure of restraint is imposed in cases related to crimes punishable with deprivation of liberty for more than three years. In exceptional cases, this measure of restraint may by ordered in cases related to crimes punishable with deprivation of liberty for less than three years.
(Paragraph 2 of Article 155 is omitted by Law No 2533-III ( 2533-14 ) of 21.06.2001 – effective from 29.06.2001 ).
Persons in whose respect taking in custody is imposed as a measure of restraint are kept in places of detention pending trial, i.e. pre-trial detention centers. In some cases, these persons may be kept in places for apprehended persons.
Places of detention pending trial for servicemen in whose respect taking in custody is imposed as a measure of restraint shall be military detention facilities of the Military Justice Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or pre-trial detention centers. Servicemen are kept
in such centers or military detention facilities of the Military Justice Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine upon investigator’s decision. In some cases, servicemen may be kept in places for apprehended persons.
In places for apprehended persons, those taken in custody may be kept for not more than three days. If delivery of imprisoned persons in pre-trial detention center or military detention facility of the Military Justice Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is impossible within this time limit because of the long distance or lack of appropriate roads, they may be kept in places for apprehended persons up to 10 days.
If taking in custody as a measure of restraint is imposed on the person who has committed a crime during serving his/her sentence in a penitentiary institution, such person may be kept in the disciplinary isolation ward or sweat cell of the penitentiary institution.
Procedure for preliminary imprisonment is prescribed by Law of Ukraine “On preliminary imprisonment” (3352-12) and the present Code.
(Article 155 as amended by virtue of the Decrees of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of 10.09.62, No 117-VIII ( 117-08 ) of 30.08.71, No 1898-VIII ( 1898-08 ) of 23.07.73, No 3130-VIII ( 3130-08 ) of 14.10.74, No 1851-IX ( 1851-09 ) of 23.03.77, No 6834-X ( 6834-10 ) of 16.04.84, by Laws No 2468-XII ( 2468-12 ) of 17.06.92, No 2935-XII ( 2935-12 ) of 26.01.93, No 282/95-ВР ( 282/95-ВР ) of 11.07.95, No 210/98-ВР ( 210/98-ВР ) of 24.03.98, No 1945-III ( 1945-14 ) of 14.09.2000, No 2533-III
2533-14 ) of 21.06.2001 – effective from 29.06.2001, No 488-IV ( 488-15 ) of 06.02.2003, No 743-IV (743-15 ) of 15.05.2003, No 2377-IV ( 2377-15 ) of 20.01.2005 ).
Article 156. Custody periods
Custody at the stage of pre-trial investigation may not last more than two months. Whenever it is impossible to complete investigation of a case within time-limit prescribed in paragraph 1 of the present Article and there are no grounds for revocation or substitution of this measure of restraint for a lighter one, custody may be extended:
1) up to four months – upon motion agreed with the prosecutor who supervises legality of proceedings conducted by inquiry and pre-trial investigation agencies, or by such prosecutor himself/ herself or by the judge of the court which made the decision to impose the measure of restraint;
2) up to nine months – upon motion agreed with the Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine, prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, oblast, cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol and prosecutors assimilated to them, or by such prosecutor himself/ herself in cases related to crimes of grave and especially grave severity, by the justice of the Court of Appeals;
3) up to eighteen months – upon motion agreed with the Prosecutor - General of Ukraine, his/her deputy or by such prosecutor himself/ herself in very complicated cases related to crimes of grave and especially grave severity, by a justice of High Civil and Criminal Court of Ukraine.
In every case, when it is impossible to complete full investigation of the case within time-limits referred to in the first and second paragraphs of the present Article and if there are no grounds for the substitution of the measure of restraint, the prosecutor who observes legality of proceedings in the case concerned may give his/her consent to refer the case to court in terms of charges proved. If so, as long as crimes and episodes of criminal activities which have not been investigated are concerned, the case is subject to disjoinder and is conducted according to regular procedure under the requirements stipulated in Article 26 of this Code.
A custody period is computed since taking in custody or, if apprehension of a suspect preceded taking in custody, since apprehension. The time a person stays in a psychiatric institution for in-hospital expert examination is credited to custody period. Whenever a person is re-taken in custody in the same case, as well as in connection with the case which has been disjoined from, or joined to, his/her case, or if new charges have been brought, the custody period includes previous custody period.
Custody periods at the stage of pre-trial investigation terminate the day on which the court has received the case. Whenever the prosecutor withdraws the case from court under Article 232 of the present Code, duration of these periods is renewed starting the day on which the prosecutor has received the case.
Records of a criminal case in which investigation has been completed should be produced to the accused that is committed to custody and his/her defense counsel at least one month before the expiration of the maximum custody period specified in the second paragraph of the present Article.
If records of the criminal case were produced to the accused and his/her defense counsel in disrespect of the one month time-limit before the expiration of the custody period as prescribed in the second paragraph of the present Article, after its expiration, the accused is subject to be promptly released. In such a case, the accused and his/her defense counsel
are entitled to review records of the case.
If records of the criminal case were produced to the accused and his/her defense counsel within one month time-limit, before the expiration of the custody period, but this time was insufficient for reviewing records of the case, the said custody period may be extended by a judge of the Court of Appeals upon investigator’s motion as agreed with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine or his/her deputy, or upon motion of this prosecutor or his/her deputy. If several accused who are kept in custody are involved in the case, and if the time-limit referred to in the sixth paragraph of the present Article is insufficient for at least one of them for reviewing records of the case, the said motion may be introduced in respect of the accused or several accused who have already reviewed records of the case unless such measure of restraint as custody is necessary in their respect and unless grounds for
imposing another measure of restraint exist.
If the court reminds the case to the prosecutor for supplementary investigation, custody period of the accused is computed since the case has been received by the prosecutor and it may not exceed two months. The said period is extended further with consideration of the time the accused was kept in custody before the case was referred to court, according to the procedure and within the limits prescribed in the second paragraph of the present Article.
Whenever a custody period as a measure of restraint referred to in the first and second paragraphs of the present Article has expired, and if this period has not been extended as prescribed in the present Code, the inquiry agency, investigator, prosecutor is required to immediately release the person from custody.
The chief of the place of detention pending trial is required to promptly release from custody the accused if the detention facility has not received, as of the day of expiration of custody periods referred to in the first, second, and sixth paragraphs of the present Article, the judge’s decision on the extension of custody periods. In such a case, he forwards an appropriate notice to the official or agency conducting proceedings in the case and to the appropriate prosecutor who supervises the investigation.
(Article 156 as amended by virtue of the Decrees of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada No 6834-X ( 6834-10 ) of 16.04.84, No 8595-XI ( 8595-11 ) of 29.12.89, as revised by Law
No 1960-XII ( 1960-12 ) of 10.12.91, as amended by Laws No 2857-XII ( 2857-12 ) of 15.12.92, No 3351-XII ( 3351-12 ) of 30.06.93; as revised by Law No 2533-III ( 2533-14 ) of 21.06.2001 – effective from 29.06.2001; as amended by Law No 658-IV ( 658-15 ) of 03.04.2003, No 2533-III ( 2533-14 ) of 21.06.2001 – effective from 29.06.2001, No 2453-VI
( 2453-17 ) of 07.07.2010 – changes to the procedure of execution of power by the Supreme court of Ukraine and High Civil and Criminal Court of Ukraine come into force after High Civil and Criminal Court of Ukraine starts its work – from 01.11.2010)
(Article 157 is omitted by Law No 2533-III ( 2533-14 ) of 21.06.2001 – effective from 29.06.2001)
Article 158. Enforcement of the decision to commit to custody as a measure of restraint
Decision to commit to custody as a measure of restraint is enforced by the agency which imposed this measure of restraint. If necessary, the agency which imposed this measure of restraint may assign execution of this decision to Interior agencies. One copy of the judge’s decision or court’s ruling is forwarded together with the arrested person to the place of detention pending trial for execution.
(Article 158 as amended by virtue of the Decree of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada No 6834-X ( 6834-10 ) of 16.04.84, by Law No 2533-III ( 2533-14 ) of 21.06.2001 – effective from 29.06.2001)
Article 159. Taking care of underage children of the arrested person
If a person taken into custody has underage children who are thus left without care, investigator is required to promptly make a submission to the Service in charge of juveniles so that the latter takes necessary measures to commit the said juvenile children to the care of relatives or to place them in a child care institution.
The investigator informs the prosecutor and the arrested person on measures taken and attaches a copy of such submission to records of the case.
(Article 159 as amended by virtue of the Decree of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada No 117-VIII (
117-08 ) of 30.08.71, by Law No 2670-III ( 2670-14 ) of 12.07.2001, No 609-V ( 609-16 ) of 07.02.2007).
Article 160. Protection of prisoner’s property
When imprisoning a suspect or the accused, investigator is required to take measures to protect the property and home of prisoner if the property and home remain without care.
Article 161. Notice of custody
Investigator is required to promptly notify the spouse or any other relative and the place of employment of the suspect or the accused that he/she has been committed to custody and the place where he/she is kept.
Where the accused is an alien, the decision to arrest is sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
(Article 161 as amended by virtue of the Decree of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada No 6834-X ( 6834-10 ) of 16.04.84).
Article 162. Visits to the arrested person
Visits of relatives or other persons to the arrested person may be allowed by the official or agency conducting proceedings in the case. Visits may last from one to four hours. A visit may be allowed once per month.
The issues related to visits of relatives or other persons to a person in whose respect detention or extradition arrest is imposed as a measure of restraint is considered by an agency conducting extradition inspection.
(Article 162 as amended by virtue of the Decree of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada No 117-VIII ( 117-08 ) of 30.08.71, by Law No 488-IV (488-15) of 06.02.2003, No 2286-VI
( 2286-17 ) of 21.05.2010).
Provisional arrest
Arrest
Surrender
Request for arrest and surrender
Cooperation under procedures of national law
Arrest for national proceedings
Provisional arrest for national proceedings
EDIT.