W tekście dokonano analizy pojęcia, funkcji, klasyfikacji, oceny poszlak oraz ich wykorzystania do budowy dowodu poszlakowego do 1991 roku w Polsce zarówno w doktrynie, jak i orzecznictwie. Zwrócono uwagę na swoisty charakter dowodu poszlakowego i jego zastosowanie do wykrycia sprawców przestępstw przeciwko życiu, zdrowiu i mieniu. Istotne jest wykorzystanie zasad kryminalistyki w sprawach poszlakowych.

The right to a fair trial in criminal cases in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland

The Constitutionally guaranteed “right to a fair trial” depends on the specific nature of a case which is taken before a court. The paper analyses the real scope of this one of the fundamental human rights in criminal cases. In the first part of the article the concept of “criminal case” is defined on the basis of jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal. Then the objective and subjective scope of the above mentioned right in criminal cases is laid down and analysed its detailed elements: access to court, the right to a fair proceedings and the right to be heard within a reasonable time. The article also points out that the scope of “the right to a fair trial” is different for the victim and the accused according to the model of prosecution procedure. The specific emphasis is placed on to the right to a fair proceedings and the need to balance procedural rights of the parties and the interests of justice. In conclusion it is emphasised that the Constitutional Tribunal does not fully take into account the changes in the criminal law, which could lead to an actual limitation of the entity’s procedural guarantees under an Article 45 paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.

Subjective Scope of the Right to Defense in Criminal Proceedings in the Light of Art. 42 sec. 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland

The article focuses on the comparison of the personal scope of the right to defence specified in Art. 42 sec. 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and regulated in article 6 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal indicates the need to extend the right of defence to any person against whom the authority undertakes prosecution, while article 6 CCP grants this right only to the suspect and the accused. The article draws attention to the situation of a suspected person who has not yet been charged. Doubts as to the scope of the right to defence relate to the statements made by this person both during the hearing (of the detained person) and during the interrogation as a witness. An analysis of all rights and obligations of this person from the constitutional point of view exceeds the scope of this study.

Presumption of Innocence under National and International Law

The principle of the presumption of innocence is one of the fundamental assumptions according to which Polish criminal procedure has been constructed. In the domestic reality, this presumption is declared both by constitutional and code regulations, however, the manner in which the presumption is guaranteed there is not the same, which affects the different scope of its application. The text depicts the common and differentiating elements of these regulations. In addition, the material and subjective scope of the principle of the presumption of innocence in terms of the Convention and certain legal acts of the European Union has been analysed.