Problems of the specialist’s status in criminal procedure

The article considers the questions of uncertainty of a specialist’s in criminal proceedings’ legal status, including through its differences from the status of an expert. The researcher proposes to recognize the opinion about the «secondary» procedural figure of a specialist in comparison with an expert as untenable. According to the author, in certain cases, a specialist may acquire the powers of an expert. The author brought together and formulated in the form of a possible criminal procedural norm the functions of a specialist. It is shown how the functions of a specialist are interconnected and which of them are most demanded today in practice. The procedural status of a specialist is understood in the work as a special set of rights and obligations. These rights and obligations are mandatory in the Criminal Procedure Act, but the list is not exhaustive.