From a very interesting article by Charles Glover in the Financial Times, more evidence of Russia’s “dual state” of functioning courts and non-functioning political courts:

“If you get a ruling from a high court in London, it is seen as a real moral victory, whereas a judgment in Russia is just a judgment in Russia,” says Dmitry Dobatkin, a partner at Linklaters law firm in Moscow. It is like confirmation of being in the right, versus winning a narrow legal victory.”

The prestige of the Russian justice system is low. This is partly because of a reputation for bribery and being vulnerable to political interference, partly because the court system is crowded and delays are endemic. In addition, there have been high-profile cases where experts believe justice was not done and the courts functioned as an arm of the executive.

Rising to this challenge, Russia’s president Dmitry Medvedev – who worked as a lawyer before entering politics – has made legal reform part of his agenda, and even coined the buzzword “legal nihilism” in an interview after his inauguration, vowing to reform the system. (…)

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