DIGITAL PROPERTY AS NEW EVIDENCE: CONCEPTUAL BASES FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF DIGITAL OBJECTS IN CRIMINALISTICS IN KAZAKHSTAN

The article examines the legal nature of digital objects and their forensic significance in the context of criminal investigation and the formation of the evidentiary base amid the digitalization of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Based on the analysis of judicial and investigative practice, materials from the Center for Forensic Examinations of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as normative legal acts and comparative legal studies, the authors substantiate the emergence of a new category of evidentiary means – digital objects. The study establishes that digital objects (electronic documents, blockchain records, NFTs, tokenized assets, and others) possess the attributes of property and can serve as independent sources of evidentiary information in criminal proceedings. Particular attention is given to comparing Kazakhstan’s practice of handling digital evidence with international approaches to the recognition and evaluation of digital objects, as formulated by Professor G. Walker. The authors conclude that the Kazakhstani model of digital law is evolving toward the de facto recognition of digital property and digital evidence. The article proposes directions for further legislative development, including the introduction of the concept of a "digital object" into the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the development of forensic methodologies for examining digital traces, and the creation of national standards for handling digital evidence. The study contributes to the development of the national doctrine of digital law and criminalistics by forming the conceptual foundations for their further integration.

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