Modesty adorns the judge

The future on the banks of the Neva was outlined to the Constitutional Court

Members of the Constitutional Court, it seems, will not wait for the “royal living conditions” with which the authorities secretly promised to sweeten their move to St. Petersburg. The life of judges and employees of the Constitutional Court on the banks of the Neva has never been publicly discussed, however, Vremya Novostey’s sources claimed that compensation for changing registration was promised to be really good: a separate cottage community in the city, cozy dachas, special medical care and other guarantees of becoming the most financially prosperous court in the world. However, now the judges fear that of all the numerous promises, only the restoration project of the Senate-Laval building will be realized, where, as the chairman of the St. Petersburg legislative assembly Vadim Tyulpanov assures, the premises have an area of ​​10 thousand square meters. m larger than the current apartments. At the same time, all economic activities of the court become completely dependent on the management of the president’s affairs.

No one has been asking for a long time about the reasons why the KS should move to St. Petersburg. The governor of northern Palmyra, Valentina Matvienko, at one time simply said that this would be “a great gift for the New Year,” and State Duma deputies, of course, did not dare to refuse the gift to the president’s hometown. Last week they adopted in the first reading the necessary draft amendments to the law “On the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation.” Some meticulous parliamentarians tried to convince their colleagues that it was not worth spending 221 million rubles. (and most likely much more) for a move that could leave the country without one of the highest courts for a long time. However, the opinion of the minority, and indeed the Constitutional Court itself, which pointed out the negative consequences of this decision, was not heard.

However, publicly the judges did not resist too much. After all, they were promised such a reception in St. Petersburg that they simply could not refuse. However, all these promises turned out to be unconfirmed rumors, and the members of the Constitutional Court will have to live in conditions that, although they cannot be called Spartan, are nevertheless clearly inferior to those in Moscow.

These conditions are described in the minutes of a meeting in the presidential affairs department, which was obtained by Vremya Novostey, where the issues of placing the Constitutional Court in St. Petersburg were recently discussed. It follows from the minutes that it was decided to exclude from the Senate-Laval building complex a separate buffet and hotel rooms, which were supposed to house permanent representatives of the authorities in court and experts. There is no mention of the supposedly promised cottages in a special village on Krestovy Island. Only the construction of an ordinary 200-apartment building is mentioned. The judges will also have to part with their dachas (now they are located in Usovo on Rublevskoye Highway). True, members of the Constitutional Court are not going to be deprived of country holidays. Rublevka will be replaced by the village of Komarovo - a picturesque place on the upper terrace of the Gulf of Finland near Lake Shchuchye. But instead of individual houses, members of the country’s highest court will be provided with country apartments, which will be equipped “based on the reconstruction of existing buildings.” The judges, however, are promised that they will have their own clinic, but so far they are only planning to build it on Krestovy Island.

At the same time, they decided to completely remove the Constitutional Court from Moscow - the highest court of the country will not even have its own representation in the capital. As follows from the document, if it is necessary to hold mobile court hearings in Moscow, the Constitutional Court will be provided with “one of the existing halls managed by the case management.” In an economic sense, the CS will generally be attached to the presidential administration, which will be responsible for transport support, food, and operation of facilities for housing the CS. Apparently, this is precisely how the move will “increase the independence of the Constitutional Court,” as promised by the authors of the explanatory note to the bill approved by the State Duma.

It is noteworthy that the conditions for the relocation of judges were discussed in the department of affairs on March 7, that is, two weeks before the vote on this issue in the State Duma. The judges found out about this after the fact and are at least surprised by this attitude towards themselves. Members of the Constitutional Court traditionally refuse to comment on the “stinginess” of officials. However, it is clear that the constitutional Themis is not completely defenseless. And the move of judges itself may be the subject of consideration by the Constitutional Court. Deputy head of the court secretariat Leonid Lazarev earlier said in the State Duma that “there have already been complaints from citizens who are protesting against the deportation of the Constitutional Court.” And the letter from the specialists of the CC secretariat, which was sent to the Duma, speaks of the principle of equality of the subjects of the federation, which may be violated by the transfer of the CC specifically to St. Petersburg.

Yuri KOLESOV