The Forbidden Fruits of the Tree of Knowledge. On the Limits of Admissibility of Illegally Obtained Evidence in a Criminal Trial. Remarks Based on Article 168a of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure Cover Image

Zakazane owoce z drzewa poznania. O granicach dopuszczalności wykorzystania w postępowaniu karnym dowodów pozyskanych nielegalnie (uwagi na tle art. 168a k.p.k.)
The Forbidden Fruits of the Tree of Knowledge. On the Limits of Admissibility of Illegally Obtained Evidence in a Criminal Trial. Remarks Based on Article 168a of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure

Author(s): Ewa Plebanek
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Criminal Law
Published by: Polska Akademia Umiejętności / Krakowski Instytut Prawa Karnego Fundacja
Keywords: Article 168a of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure; evidentiary proceedings; criminal procedure; the fruits of the poisonous tree doctrine; the exclusion of evidence;

Summary/Abstract: The article contains remarks on the admissibility of illegally obtained evidence, that is evidence obtained by a prohibited act as understood in Article 1 of the Polish Criminal Code, or by a violation of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure. The analysis of the case law and views of the legal scholars indicates that despite major changes in the normative content of Article 168a of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure made by the amendment of 15 April 2016, the argumentation against the employment of evidence obtained by institutional participants in criminal proceedings by a violation of statutory regulations is still valid. The article also discusses terminological misunderstandings related to the fruits of a poisoned tree doctrine.

  • Issue Year: 23/2019
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 53-76
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Polish