Науковий вісник Національної академії внутрішніх справ

The study aimed to identify strategies for countering obstruction and to develop a system of tactical approaches to protect pre-trial investigations into official misconduct from disruptive influences. The research was based on a combination of comparative legal analysis, quantitative analysis of official statistical data, and qualitative analysis of judicial and investigative practice. Based on a comparative legal analysis of legislation and case law in Ukraine, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany, a systematisation of tools for neutralising and overcoming resistance from specific actors was conducted. The study established that, in contrast to retrospective countermeasures, the strategy of threat neutralisation involves the pre-emptive freezing of a suspect’s administrative and financial resources before irreversible consequences arise. The analysis of empirical data has confirmed the effectiveness of a three-tiered response system to counter-investigation activities, which involves a combination of financial, technological and procedural measures. The study determined that the priority approach is to deprive the official of economic benefit, as evidenced by the practice of asset freezing in foreign jurisdictions and the use of settlement agreements. The effectiveness of using mass decryption of encrypted messaging apps and blockchain analysis to identify hidden links in high-tech schemes involving cryptocurrency mixers has been demonstrated. This research demonstrates the need to implement international standards of accountability for interference with the administration of justice and to expand the powers of anti-corruption bodies to intercept information autonomously from telecommunications networks to minimise leaks. The practical value of the study is determined by the potential for direct application of the proposed recommendations to improve criminal procedure legislation