Moscow Arbitration Tribunal

Moscow Arbitration structure is defined by federal constitutional Act "About Arbitrations in Russian Federation".

Moscow Arbitration Structure:

• Arbitration President (authorities according to the Act)
• Deputy Arbitration Presidents (authorities according to the Act)
• Arbitration Panel (arbitration panel and authorities according to the Act)
• Machinery Manager – arbitration administrator.
• Adjudication Board on civil and other legal relationships, (panels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 15);
• Adjudication Board on administrative legal relationships, (panels 1, 7, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19);
• Court machinery

Moscow Arbitration regular employees’ number makes 650 people, 180 judges (together with court administration).

Juror:

• Judges – 142 (without the administration);
• Specialists – 159 (137 – specialists of the 1st category, 22 – specialists of the 2nd category);
• Registrars – 91;
• Deputy Judges – 152 + 2 deputy judges in placement group;

The system of Courts of Arbitration in Russia functions according to Article 127  of the Constitution of Russian Federation as well as to Part 3, Article 4  of the Federal Constitutional Act "About Judicial System of Russian Federation".

The prototypes of Courts of Arbitration in prerevolutionary Russia were Commercial Courts trying trade and exchange cases as well as trade insolvency cases.

During first years after the October Revolution in underdeveloped commodity-money relations environment, controversies between public establishments were not allowed (Court Decree No. 2 // CO (Court Office) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 1917—1918. No. 26. Page. 347). Controversy between enterprises and organization were resolved by administrative order by higher government machinery.

With the development of economic relations there appeared the necessity to create a special body to litigate controversies between state institutions and organizations. In 1922 for this purpose arbitration boards were created in Russia. Property controversies between state establishments and enterprises of different jurisdictions were litigated by Supreme Arbitration Commission under the Council of Labour and Defense as well as by arbitration boards under regional economic councils, then later on in the Council of Peoples Commissars of autonomous socialist republics, by arbitration boards under executive committees of regions and provinces. Departmental arbitration boards were also created in the system of government machinery of separate trades.

Further development of arbitration is connected with the introduction of cost-accounting relations and establishment of economic relations on contractual basis. In March 1931 the regulations of Supreme Soviet of the Council of Peoples Commissars of the USSR according to which all state and economic organizations and enterprises should complete formalities for their relations in supply of goods, work production and rendering of services by concluding contracts and should bear statute-established responsibility for non-fulfilment of them.

In May 1931 within the government machinery system there was created a state arbitration aimed at litigation of property controversies between establishments, enterprises and organizations of socialist economy. Two types of arbitration were formed — state and departmental. State arbitration litigated controversies of enterprises and organizations of different jurisdiction, the departmental one litigated controversies of enterprises and organizations of one-department jurisdiction (ministry, committee and so on).

A state arbitration was created by the Moscow City Council by the regulation of Supreme Soviet of the USSR and Council of Peoples Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as of 25 November, 1935.

During the sixty-year history of state arbitration (from May 1931 till October 1991) time and again several attempts to modernize its structure and activity, to adjust it to changing economic conditions and to increase its role in public economy were made.

In 1960 the Council of Ministers of the USSR annulled the Provision about State Arbitration of 1931 and approved a new one under the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

Until 1974 lower arbitrations were not subordinate to the higher ones and were under administrative bodies, that is it was an insubordinate system. On January 17, 1974 the State Arbitration of the USSR was transformed into a national and republican body and a new Provision about State Arbitration under the Council of Ministers of the USSR was approved.

The last development stage of State Arbitration is connected with the adoption of state arbitration statute. In 1977 after the adoption of the Constitution of the USSR, Arbitration was acknowledged a constitutional body. Structure and scope of activities of State Arbitration bodies were first defined by the Act "About State Arbitration in the USSR" that was adopted on 30 November, 1979.

In Russian Federation State Arbitration was governed by the Provision about State Arbitration approved by the regulation of Council of Ministers of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as of 5 December, 1980.

In 1991 the arbitration system was cancelled by the Resolution of the RSFSR Supreme Soviet about Implementation of Act of the RSFSR "About Arbitration" adopted on July 4, 1991. Change of the system of arbitrations for arbitrations was predefined by new economic conditions of switching to market relations and existence of several forms of ownership.

After the adoption of the Constitution  of Russian Federation, that of the first part of the new RF Civil Code and different legislation appeared the necessity to create new laws about arbitrations.

In 1995 the Federal Constitutional Act  "About Arbitration Courts in Russian Federation" as well as the Arbitration Code  of Practice of Russian Federation were adopted and nowadays define the system, the composition and the structure of courts of arbitration and procedural form of their activity.

Rights and obligations of the parties (claimant and defendant) and other persons involved

The Parties have equal rights to challenge and solicit the judge, represent evidence, take part in their investigation, participate in oral pleadings, in production of arguments and explanations to the arbitration and in performance of other procedural rights and obligations.

The legal procedure in arbitration is made on the basis of adversarial nature of the trial.

Parties involved are entitled to be aware of the arguments of each other before the trial. Every participant is guaranteed the right to represent evidence to arbitration and the other Party is provided with the right to solicit and challenge the judge, to make points, give explanations on all issues arising in the course of legal investigation connected with representation of evidence.

Participants of the case assume a risk of act or omission of any procedural activities.

Parties not involved in the case are entitled to appeal against the judicial act if the act had decided their rights and obligations. Such persons use the rights and bear the obligations of Parties involved in the case.

Parties involved in the case are entitled to:

• Get instructions on the case, abstract and copy it;
• Challenge the judge;
• Represent the evidence and familiarize themselves with the evidence provided by other Parties to the case before the trial;
• Participate in evidence investigation;
• Put questions to other participants of arbitration proceedings, challenge the judge, make statements, give explanations to arbitration, produce arguments to all issues arising in the course of legal investigation;
• Familiarize themselves with petitions presented by other persons, protest against petitions of the Parties involved in the case;
• Be aware of the complaints made by other Parties involved in the case, be aware of the judicial acts made of the case and receive copies of them made as one separate document;
• Use other procedural rights provided to them by the Arbitration Code of Practice of Russian Federation and other federal laws.

During case investigation in Arbitration Court of Appeal before the issuance of a judicial act that is a factual end of legal investigation, the claimant is entitled to completely or partially waive a claim.

During case investigation in Arbitration Court of any instance, the defendant is entitled to find the case proven completely or partially.

The Parties can close the case by voluntary settlement.

Arbitration does not accept release of a claim by the claimant, confession of action by the defendant, does not uphold the voluntary settlement of the Parties if it is contrary to the law or infringes the rights of other persons. In such cases the court tries a case per se.

Third parties filing independent claims concerning the subject of controversy use the rights and bear obligations of the claimant.

Third parties not filing independent claims concerning the subject of controversy use procedural rights and bear procedural responsibilities of the Party, except the right to waive a claim, confession of action or conclusion of voluntary settlement.

Parties involved in the case should use all procedural rights owed by them in good faith. Abuse of procedural rights by the Parties leads to unfavourable consequences to these persons provided by Arbitration Code of Practice of Russian Federation.

The parties bear responsibility for authencity of the represented evidence according to Criminal Code of Russian Federation (see the receipt of the Parties on the elucidation of consequences set forth by Articles 303, 306 of Criminal Code of Russian Federation in case of falsification of evidence or wittingly false information on evidence falsification .)

• Prove the circumstances they make reference to as the basis of their claims and objections (the burden to prove the circumstances that had served as the reason for making contested acts, decisions, acts or omission by state bodies, local governments, other bodies or officials is entrusted to the corresponding body or official);
• Disclose evidence they make reference to as the basis of their claims and objections before other parties involved in the case before the trial if other is not set forth by the Arbitration Code of Practice of Russian Federation;
• Observe the established order; the disruptive person or the person non-obedient to orders of the President can be turned away after a warning;
• The actions of persons present in the courtroom filming and photographing, broadcasting by radio and showing on TV the judicial sitting authorized by court should not disturb the order of judicial sitting; such activities may be limited in time by court.

Dereliction of procedural duty by the Parties involved in the case brings about circumstances set forth by Arbitration Code of Practice of Russian Federation to those Parties.

The judge cannot participate in legal investigation and is challenged if he/she:

1. Acted as a judge in the previous legal investigation of the given case and according to the requirements of Arbitration Code of Practice of Russian Federation his/her repeat participation in legal investigation is not allowed;
2. Acted as a prosecutor, deputy judge, registrar, representative, expert, interpreter or witness in the previous legal investigation of the given case;
3. Acted as a judge of foreign court, arbitration tribunal and arbitration in the previous legal investigation of the given case;
4. Is the relative of the Party involved in the case or the relative of his/her representative;
5. Is personally expressly or by implication biased or there are other circumstances which can doubt his/her impartiality;
6. Is or earlier was in official or any other subjection to the Party or his/her representative involved in the case;
7. Gave public utterance or evaluated the case being tried per se.

The arbitration panel that tries the case cannot include relatives of the Parties involved in the case.