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International Journal of Law And Criminology

Peer Reviewed | Open Access | E-ISSN: 2771-2214
Published Article

Specific Features of Investigating the Crime of Digital Bribery

Specific Features of Investigating the Crime of Digital Bribery

  • Rajabov Ulugbek Abdurakhmonovich
    Independent Researcher at the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Corruption bribery crypto-assets

The rapid development of digital technologies and the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies have created new methods of committing corruption-related offences, particularly bribery involving crypto-assets. This article examines the legal, procedural, and forensic challenges associated with proving the receipt of bribes in the form of cryptocurrencies, with particular emphasis on the identification, collection, preservation, examination, and evaluation of digital evidence. The study highlights the specific characteristics of crypto-assets, including decentralisation, pseudonymity, cross-border transferability, transaction irreversibility, and price volatility, which complicate the establishment of the actual ownership of crypto-wallets, the tracing of financial flows, and the determination of the value of a bribe at the time of the offence. Particular attention is paid to the legal regulation of crypto-assets in Uzbekistan and the need to improve investigative and judicial practices concerning bribery involving digital assets. The article also examines relevant foreign experience, including criminal investigations in which blockchain analysis and cryptocurrency exchange records have contributed to establishing the movement of crypto-assets and identifying individuals involved in alleged corruption schemes. The research identifies several key evidentiary challenges, including the use of cryptocurrency mixers and tumblers, the concealment of transaction origins, the encryption or deletion of electronic data, and the absence of unified approaches to documenting cryptocurrency transactions in procedural records. The article substantiates the importance of comprehensive computer-forensic and economic examinations to establish the fact of a cryptocurrency transfer and determine its monetary equivalent. It further analyses the practical value of blockchain analytics, obtaining customer identification and transaction records from cryptocurrency exchanges, forensic examination of computers, smartphones and hardware wallets, and the use of electronic communications and witness testimony in conjunction with blockchain evidence. The study emphasises the importance of conducting urgent investigative actions to preserve digital traces, documenting wallet addresses and complete transaction identifiers, recording transaction amounts and relevant exchange rates, and ensuring the integrity and authenticity of digital evidence. It concludes that improving the investigation of bribery involving crypto-assets requires specialised technical expertise, standardised procedures for documenting and valuing crypto-assets, stronger international cooperation, and the development of appropriate criminal procedure mechanisms. These measures can enhance the reliability of evidence, support the effective investigation of cryptocurrency-related bribery, and strengthen the legal framework for combating corruption in the digital economy.

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