Legal News

Russian Prez Moves to Clean Up Courts

By Dan Slater

When Vladimir Putin first endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as Russia’s next president, there was some healthy skepticism that Medvedev would be little more than Putin’s puppet. Not only was he Putin’s former chief of staff, but Medvedev had pledged, if elected, to appoint Putin his prime minister.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev walks with his wife Svetlana after an inauguration ceremony in the Kremlin (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti)

The Law Blog was circumspect. Medvedev can’t be all bad, we thought, he’s a lawyer. And, we see the rule of law, apparently, is still near and dear to Medvedev’s heart.

Just two weeks after his May 7 inauguration, Medvedev — according to this WSJ story by Gregory L. White — is moving to clean up Russia’s weak and often-corrupt courts.

“The main goal is to attain judicial independence in reality,” Medvedev said yesterday at a Kremlin meeting, calling for steps aimed at “the elimination of unjust rulings, rulings that often arise from various kinds of pressure, phone calls and, let’s not hide it, money.”

Anton Ivanov, chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court, told reporters after the session that he had formally requested the removal of Lyudmilla Maikova, the top judge in the Arbitration Court of the Moscow District, one of Russia’s main appeals courts. He said Maikova, who has reportedly become known for issuing controversial rulings favorable to the tax authorities in high-profile business cases, had violated “ethical norms” by accepting cut-price apartments.

Maikova, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, couldn’t be reached for comment. Her removal still must be approved by a commission of other judges.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).