Abstract
The article is about a study of the problem of criminal defendants not being able to properly exercise their right to participate in the pre-trial investigation by means of hiring legal council
(specialist). The author analyzes the amendments made to the Criminal Procedure Code of the
Russian Federation that aim to improve the protections for criminal defendants with regards to
gathering evidence. The author then concludes that the law now has more passive guarantees
to ensure proper and diligent carrying out of their duties by persons charged with conducting
criminal investigations to ensure that the defendant can properly organize his or her defense. The
article pays attention to the lack in the current regulations of a legal mechanism that defendants
can use to exercise their right to hire a specialist. In that light, the article suggests that more
court supervision should be used over the actions (or inaction) and decisions made by officials
that may violate the right of the defendant to take part in the investigative process, which should
reduce prosecution bias in how evidence is collected and presented in criminal cases.