The article investigates the essence of the general objective and subjective signs of crimes which encroach on the procedural rights and interests of the suspect, the accused.

 The purpose of the article is to give the general characteristics of the crimes referred to in Articles 371–375 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (CC of Ukraine), and also to identify the features allowing to discern the encroachments concerned among other crimes against justice and to classify them into one group.

The author has established that the legislator formulated the corpus delicti of the crimes referred to in Part 2 of Article 371, Articles 372, 374 of Ukraine’s CC by using a standard legal framework which includes: a) object of a crime – procedural rights and interests of the suspect, the accused; b) objective part – violation of (non-compliance with) procedural rights and interests of the suspect, the accused enshrined in the legislation; c) subject – officials of the bodies which conduct pre-trial investigation, operational search activities, or judges; d) subjective part - guilt in the form of a direct intent. However, some features of corpus delicti of the crimes under Part 1 of Article 371, Article 374 of Ukraine’s CC are not fully consistent with the above-mentioned framework, since in the context of corpus delicti of the crimes concerned, the rights and interests of the suspect, the accused, as provided for by the procedural law, take the part of an optional object of protection under criminal law.

It is recognized that the specific signs of the crime under Art. 375 of Ukraine’s CC obviously go beyond the legal framework mentioned above: a knowingly wrongful sentence, decision, ruling or resolution may be passed by a judge (judges) not only in criminal proceedings but in the court proceedings of any other type and, accordingly, it causes or may cause harm to the procedural rights and interests not only of the suspect, the accused, but also of other participants to the proceedings. At the same time, the crime under Art. 375 of Ukraine’s CC, if committed within the framework of criminal proceedings, may encroach on the procedural rights and interests of the suspect, the accused, and given this, respective values should be recognized for this crime as an optional object of protection under criminal law. So, for scientific purposes of crime research in accordance with Art. 375 of Ukraine’s CC, it is advisable not to exclude from the analysis the signs of other encroachments on the procedural rights and interests of the suspect, the accused.

List of legal documents 

Legislation 
1. Kodeks administratyvnoho sudochynstva Ukrainy [Code of Administrative Court Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 6 lypnia 2005 r. № 2747-IV. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2747-15 (accessed: 03.12.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
2. Kodeks Ukrainy pro administratyvni pravoporushennia [Code of Ukraine for Administrative Offences]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 7 grudnia 1984 r. № 8073-X. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/80731-10 (accessed: 03.12.2018) (in Ukrainian).
4. Konstytutsiia Ukrainy [The Constitution of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 28 chervnia 1996 r. № 254к/96-VR. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/254%D0%BA/96-%D0%B2%D1%80 (accessed: 03.12.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
5. Kryminalnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Criminal Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 5 kvitnia 2001 r. № 2341-III. URL: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/2341-14 (accessed 03.12.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
6. Kryminalnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 13 kvitnia 2012 r. № 4651-VI. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4651-17 (accessed: 03.12.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
7. Tsyvilnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 18 bereznia 2004 r. № 1618-IV. URL: http://zakon. rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1618-15 (accessed: 03.12.2018) (in Ukrainian). 

Bibliography 
Authored book 
8. Fesenko Ye, Zlochyny proty zdorov’ia naselennia ta systemy zakhodiv z yoho okhorony [Crimes against Public Health and the Systems of Action for Its Protection] (Atika 2004) (in Ukrainian). 

Journal articles 
9. Shapchenko S, ‘Sklad zlochynu yak kryminalno-pravovyi fenomen: sutnist ta osnovni formy isnuvannia’ [‘Corpus Delicti as a Criminal Law Phenomenon: the Essence and Basic Forms of Existence’] [2009] 1(14) Visnyk Akademii advokatury Ukrainy 240-3 (in Ukrainian).