Country’s arbitrazh courts under threat as merger between SAC and Supreme Court gets seal of approval
In December 2013 the Russian Constitution celebrated its 20th anniversary. However, for lawyers, this anniversary was overshadowed by another event. On 7 October 2013 the President of the Russian Federation submitted to the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) a bill proposing amendments to the Constitution. Under this bill, it was proposed that Russia’s two highest courts, which sit above two separate systems, be merged. A de facto result of this is the dissolution of the most progressive court in Russia: the Supreme Arbitrazh Court (SAC).
