OREANDA-NEWS. September 27, 2011. In September FAS Collegium discussed possibility to take part in judicial proceedings of antimonopoly cases using video-conferencing, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

In Russia many arbitration courts have technical possibilities and provide premises and equipment to regional FAS offices to take part in the hearings remotely. It is at discretion of an arbitration court to decide whether hearings can be organised with video conferencing; a decision can be made subject to availability of the necessary procedural and organizational possibilities for the planned date and time.

One of the first hearings involving video-conferencing took place in the Far East Federal District on 1st December 2010, when a court considered a case investigated by Amur OFAS Russia. In 2011 Ivanovo, Kirov, Novgorod, Penza, Tomsk, Tyumen, Yakutia, Yamalo-Nenetsk and other regional offices of FAS Russia took part the court hearings with video-conferencing.

Possibility to take part at court hearings remotely considerably decreases time spent and financial expenses, increases the number of FAS officers taking part in the proceedings, makes upholding of interests easier and increases efficiency. The Heads of regional FAS Offices also notice positive effects of organising hearings with video-conferencing.

“Video-conferencing enables efficiently prove the legal standpoint of the Antimonopoly Service on each case without considerable financial costs, related to business trips to Omsk, where the 8th Arbitration Appeal Court is located. It is difficult to overestimate judicial proceedings that use video-conferencing. OFAS experts can maintain the legal standpoint of the antimonopoly body for absolutely all cases considered by the Appeal Court and there is no need to be distracted from other cases processed by them because they participate in appeal proceedings “on the spot” – in Tyumen. Our experts are involved in a direct dialogue with judges of the 8th Arbitration Appeal Court, which significantly facilitates understanding of submissions and arguments put forward by OFAS in the most complex cases”, said the Head of Tyumen OFAS Russia, Dmitry Shalabodov.

“As the Appeal and Cassation Courts are located outside Yakutia – in Chita and Irkutsk, which makes travel expenses particularly high, Yakutia OFAS Russia is actively involved in judicial proceedings with video-conferencing. For instance, the latest video-conferencing of Yakutia OFAS Russia in the hearing of cassation appeal lodged by OFAS with regard to the judgment of the Court of First Instance and the ruling of the Appeal Court resulted in positive outcome of the case”, commented the Head of Yakutia OFAS Russia,Yuri Ignatiev.

Reference:

Under Part 1 Article 153.1 of the Arbitration Procedural Code of the Russian Federation, persons that are parties to the case and other participants of arbitration proceedings can take part in court hearings by using video-conferencing systems provided that they file relevant petitions and the arbitration courts have technical possibility to organise a video-conference.