על הוגנות והדדיות בחקירה הפלילית – להחיות את היפיפייה הנמה : על זכותה של ההגנה לבקש צו להמצאת חפצים לצורכי חקירה על דרך סעיף 43 לפקודת סדר הדין הפלילי

At the outset of a criminal trial, there is an inherent disparity between the defence and the prosecution, with the defence in an inferior position regarding the evidence gathered. While law enforcement agencies have complete exclusivity over the investigation process, the defence’s main avenues for gathering evidence in the Israeli criminal process are limited to the discovery rule under Section 74 and an application for an order to produce documents pursuant to Section 108, which may be initiated in open court, but only after the commencement of the trial. Critiquing the recent Israeli Supreme Court’s judgement in Crim App 296/18 Ploni, the article discusses the defence’s right to obtain material evidence relevant to the criminal investigation, by applying for an ex-parte order pursuant to Section 43 of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance. The article examines the concept of fairness in the criminal process rising from this procedural issue, and argues that due to the power disparity between the parties, fairness does not necessitate reciprocity and should not require a two-way discovery obligation, which infringes upon the defendant’s privilege against self-incrimination. The article further argues that only by empowering the defence to gather material evidence, through a judicial order, issued ex-parte without the involvement of the prosecution, will it be possible to eliminate the investigatory disparity between the parties.