Abstract
What happens if a criminal evidence has been obtained in
violation of law or with disregard for the procedural rules and the general
principles? Is it possible or forbidden to use such an evidence in court? This
constitutes, indeed, a complicated and a tricky question that has already been
widely discussed. The illegal evidence, which was subject to many debates,
remains still questionable and not yet solved. The criminal or public action
aims at clarifying the truth. Therefore, it is necessary to have an evidence to
confirm the commission of offence and its imputation to its perpetrator. The
search for criminal evidence is subject to the principle of freedom of
evidence. Yet, the freedom of evidence and the search for the criminal evidence
is not an absolute and unrestricted freedom, for it is vital to reconcile the
society's interest in order to clear the offence and its perpetrator to reach
the truth, in the one hand, and to implement the right of the State to resort
to punishment. Besides, it is prohibited to put to use the forms of evidence
which represent an infringement of freedom of individuals and their personal
safety under the freedom of proof. To that end, the theory of legality of
criminal evidence saw the light of the day since the clarification of the truth
cannot happen through the use of an illegal means in a State of law.
The principle of legality of criminal evidence is, basically,
a principle neglected in the law. Moreover, there are some doubts as far as its
real existence in the legal system is concerned. This very study is aimed for
asserting and confirming that the principle of legality of criminal evidence
exists, indeed, both in the Lebanese and French laws through the definition of
a specific and stable concept of the principle of legality of criminal
evidence, the study of its relationship with the principle of loyalty of
criminal evidence in addition to the emphasis on the various aspects
characterizing the principle of legality of evidence, the principle of loyalty
of evidence and the level of their interrelationship ; hence the need for
distinguishing illegal evidence via the definition of a specific concept of
illegal evidence in the criminal evidence, by covering the whole violations of
substantive rules, procedural rules as well as all forms of illegal evidence.
After the definition of the principle of legality of criminal evidence and the
concept of illegal evidence, we move on, in this study, to the search for the
implementation or the practical application of the principle of legality of
criminal evidence in Lebanon and France. Based on this principle, we have tried
to bring a strict contribution to the confirmation that the principle of
legality of criminal evidence exists indeed, besides, we have proved its legal
value in the Lebanese and French laws. Afterwards, we have examined the destiny
of this illegal evidence and the assessment of systems of invalidity adopted in
Lebanon and France, the level of their efficiency and the effective
implementation of the principle of legality of evidence so as to answer the
main issue of this study, otherwise said the principle of legality of criminal
evidence meets a vital need that requires a legislative support in Lebanon and
France in a bid to devote the effective implementation of this principle. The
legislative recognition of the principle of legality of criminal evidence with
an innovative procedural sanction is the only means for convincing the stance
of jurisprudence, which strives for weakening the principle of criminal
evidence and for marginalizing it. Thus, there is an urgent and vital need for
innovating a new technique and legal tools likely to exclude illegal
evidence.
Key Words: loyalty, freedom, evidence, legality, Lebanon,
France, Sanction, Nullity, Procedure.
L'Université Le Mans
L'université du Maine n'entend donner aucune
approbation ni improbation aux opinions émises dans les thèses ;
ces opinions doivent être considérées comme propres
à leurs auteurs.
II
Dédicace
À mes parents, Hoda et Wehbi, voici le fruit de
tant d'années d'étude. Merci pour votre amour et support
inconditionnel.
III
Remerciements
Mes remerciements s'adressent en tout premier lieu
à Madame le Professeur Valérie Lasserre-Kiesow, ma directrice de
thèse, pour son aide à l'élaboration de cette
thèse, sa disponibilité, ses remarques stimulantes, pour ses
conseils, ses réflexions, et ses discussions que nous avons pu
échanger durant la thèse et qui m'ont guidé et
éclairé durant ces années de recherche.
Je remercie M. le Professeur Édouard Verny, Doyen
de la Faculté de droit et de science politique de l'Université
Rennes I et M. Sylvain Jacopin, Maître de conférences (HDR)
à l'Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, de m'avoir fait l'honneur
d'accepter d'être rapporteurs de cette thèse. Je remercie
également Mme Rana Chaaban, Maître de conférences à
l'Université du Maine, de me faire l'honneur de participer à mon
jury de thèse.
Bien entendu, je remercie ma famille (Wehbi, Hoda,
Mohammad, Christine, Zeina et Karim), pour leur irremplaçable et
inconditionnel soutien.
Un merci spécial pour des amis extraordinaires
(Mojtaba Mortada, Ali Chokor, Sami Alawiye, Ali Atwi, Ali Slim, Doreid Ghader
« Dodo », Nader Yaacoub, Hussein Dbouk, Hassan Dbouk, Ali Alaaeddine,
Hussein Nassrallah, Mohamad Ali chokr, Rana choker ...
Merci enfin aux personnels de la bibliothèque
universitaire du Maine pour leur disponibilité.
IV
| 
