“Judicial authority of 49 judges was prematurely terminated in 2023” – Supreme Council of Judges

In 2023, the term of office of 49 judges was prematurely terminated. This was announced at the AIMC press conference on the summary of the activities of the Supreme Council of Judges in 2023.

At the press conference, the journalist of Kun.uz was asked how many judges were brought to criminal responsibility last year and how the proposal of the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis to review the cases of judges caught with bribes in Uzbekistan will be considered.

“In 2023, due to various factors, the judicial authority of 49 judges was prematurely terminated: 22 of them wrote an application of resignation themselves, 17 of them violated the judge’s oath and 8 of the requirements of the ethics code of judges, some of them died. Such behavior of the judges will be determined through the service review and action will be taken according to the conclusion of the qualification panels.

In 2023, the judge of the Yashnabad district court on criminal proceedings was prosecuted under Article 210-1 of the Criminal Code, and was sentenced to 5-year imprisonment.

In the case against the judges of Tashkent inter-district economic court, they were released from their duties before the deadline due to the results of service inspections. After investigating their activities, indictments were sent through the investigative body, and the court of Tashkent region and Tashkent city imposed the appropriate punishment.

There are also cases where the judges themselves are detaining the people who offer bribes. They should also be covered in the mass media, let the public know,” Alisher Jalilov, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of Judges, said.

Also, Alisher Jalilov, while commenting on the proposal made by the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis to review the cases of judges caught with bribes in Uzbekistan, stated that there is no such procedure in the legislation.

“The fairness of the decisions made by the judge will be reviewed by the higher court. The law does not have a procedure for reviewing the cases of judges who have been bribed. The case is being proceeded according to the Criminal Procedural Code, there is no other procedure or principle.

In 2023, 2 million 114 thousand court decisions were adopted. Complaints were filed against 2.8% of them. Most citizens and legal entities considered the decisions made to be legal. It is necessary to pay attention to this side of the issue,” the deputy chairman of the Supreme Council of Judges said.

Figures on the Council’s activities in 2023 were also mentioned at the press conference.

It is noted that 541 appointments were made as a result of open competitions held by the Council for the appointment of judges and filling of vacant positions in 2023. Of these, 142 judges were reappointed for the first 5-year term, 111 for a 10-year term, 5 for an indefinite period, and 283 for the term of office.

Currently, 1409 judges are working in the system. 453 of them were appointed for a 5-year term, 903 for a 10-year term, and 51 for an indefinite term.