A judge in Russia has resigned after a video showed him asleep during a trial that ended with him sentencing the defendant to 5 years, local media reported at the end of last week.
The Russian justice system, which has an “enviously” high conviction rate, managed to piss-off even its most stalwart supporters when the video, showing judge Yevgeny Makhno sleeping through a defense lawyer’s speech, was posted online.
“The Judges Qualification Panel accepted Makhno’s resignation from his judge’s post,” regional judge & panel member Valentina Pozharskaya told reporters.
The video, which was recorded during a fraud trial last year, shows Makhno slumped at the bench & fast asleep with his head leaning back on his chair.
The accused was sentenced to five years hard labor & will now have a new trial on 14th February (hope the new judge is romantic, as well as awake) after a successful appeal against the “unjust” sentence, local TV news reports said.
Makhno will eventually be able to return to his post if he retakes his exams, & presumably can develop a taste for strong coffee & lose any predilection for lunchtime vodka.
No doubt the “Pres” will soon be videoed wrestling slumbering judges from their Courts, while dressed only in a loin cloth & a rather fetching legal wig. So that just leaves the Pussy Riot girls……
The picture is courtesy of the Siberian Times.
ThursdayAgain 
You must be logged in to post a comment.