THE ROLE OF EXPERT WITNESSES IN JUDICIAL SYSTEM IN SERBIA

This paper deals with the role and importance of expert witnesses in the judicial system in Serbia, keeeping in mind the fact that findings and opinions of expert witnesses have become a critical factor in the process of decision making in courts. Namely, engaging expert witnesses is common practice in our judicial system; however, regulations governing this field are not clear enough and/or their implementation in practice is inconsistent, which eventually has a negative impact on the efficiency of the judicial system in our country. Therefore, upgrading the legal framework governing the work of expert witnesses and more effective enforcement of regulations in practice would certainly contribute to higher efficiency and quality of court expertise, as well as the efficiency of the whole judicial system in our country. A good regulatory system, together with other prerequisites, guarantees professional and efficient work of expert witnesses in court proceedings, thus guaranteeing the legality of court proceed- ings in their entirety.