Deliberate non-performance of contractual obligations as an indicium of fraud provided for by article 159.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

Introduction: the article considers the new types of fraud introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in 2012. The authors point out a number of problems associated with the differentiation among the new articles, as well as between these articles and Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and torts. They also study the issues of the qualification of fraud related with deliberate non-performance of contractual obligations. Purpose: to determine the most typical situations in which the non-performance of contractual obligations shall be qualified under Article 159.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, taking into account modern court and investigative practice, and also establish the content of the new indicium of fraud - deliberate non-performance of contractual obligations. Methods: the methodological framework of the paper is based on a set of methods of scientific cognition: general scientific methods (analysis and synthesis, dialectics) and methods specific to legal science (comparative legal and technical methods). Results: the paper considers the instances of non-performance of obligations indicating presence/absence of deliberate behaviour that are common in the law enforcement practice. In addition, the authors define the concept of “deliberate non-performance of contractual obligations” as a constituent element of the offence provided for by Article 159.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; compare the concepts of “non-performance of duties” and “non-performance of obligations”; determine the relationship between the non-performance of obligations under a civil transaction and the criminal offence; distinguish between a person’s criminal and non-criminal behaviour. Conclusions: non-performance of obligations can be presented in a variety of ways: in proportion to the scope of fulfilled/non-fulfilled obligations, to the term of the performance of obligations, to the beginning and termination of the non-performance of obligations, etc. The deliberate non-performance of contractual obligations as a constituent element of the offence provided for by Article 159.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is the action (inaction) of parties that contradict the provisions of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on the performance of obligations of the certain type and exclude the possibility to fulfil the liabilities specified in the contract, partially or in full, committed with intent which arose either before the execution of the contract or during its execution