Abstract
Introduction. The investigation of criminal cases involving the recovery of illegally acquired assets has encountered numerous challenges, including the complexity of identifying sophisticated financial schemes, the limited resources of law enforcement agencies, and the insufficient transparency of financial transactions. As the economy is becoming increasingly digitalized and the volume of financial data is expanding, traditional financial investigation methods have become less effective and more resource-intensive.Problem Statement. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into criminal proceedings emerges as a promising approach to improving the efficiency of asset recovery. However, the application of AI in criminal justice has raised a number of unresolved legal, ethical, and technical issues that require comprehensive evaluation before such technologies can be effectively incorporated into investigative and judicial practice.Purpose. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of mechanisms for protecting public interests in criminal cases involving the recovery of illegally acquired assets, taking into account both traditional financial investigation methods and emerging AI-based technologies. Materials and Methods. The study has employed descriptive legal analysis, comparative legal analysis, legal modeling, and comparative research methods. An analysis of the criminal procedural legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan,together with the institutional framework governing asset recovery, has made it possible to identify the specific featuresof financial investigations within the national legal system.Results. The study has demonstrated that establishing a fair and effective framework for recovering illegally acquired assets through the combined application of conventional investigative methods and AI technologies has strengthened the protection of public interests at both the state and societal levels. Furthermore, the findings have shown that the integration of AI into financial investigations has the potential to improve the efficiency, transparency, and analytical capacity of asset recovery proceedings. Based on these findings, the study has proposed an original model of financial investigation to be applied during the sentence enforcement stage.Conclusions. The study has concluded that the development of an effective legal and technological framework for protecting public interests has enabled a more comprehensive assessment of law enforcement activities related to the recovery of illegally acquired assets in favor of the state. The proposed approach has provided a conceptual basis for integrating AI into financial investigations while maintaining the principles of legality, procedural fairness, and eff ective judicial protection