The Pskov Regional Court upheld the decision of the court of a lower instance, did not apply to the Constitutional Court and did not satisfy Svetlana Vasilkova’s complaint
Press Release, 20.01.2023
Photo: Svetlana Vasilkova / Photo by the Pskov Yabloko Press Service
On 20 January, the administrative board of the Pskov Regional Court considered the appeal of Svetlana Vasilkova, head of the Pustoshkinsky district elected from Yabloko, about the early termination of her powers by the district assembly of deputies. The deputies of the district Assembly made such a decision on 24 November, dismissing Vasilkova from her post, despite the fact that the State Finance Committee of the Pskov Region recognised the district headed by Vasilkova one of the best in the region in 2021 and allotted additional funding in the form of an additional incentive payment which was used for preparation for the heating season.
On 21 December, the Opochetsky District Court of the Pskov Region refused to satisfy Svetlana Vasilkova’s claims to recognise the decision of the Assembly of Deputies to remove her from her post, the opinion of the Governor of the Pskov Region and the decision to appoint the acting head of the district as unlawful.
During the court hearings, Svetlana Vasilkova, and her lawyers Yelena Mayatnikova and Vitaly Isakov substantiated their position in detail and stated the need to cancel the decision of the Opochetsky District Court on substantive grounds for violation of the norms of substantive and procedural law.
In addition, Vasilkova’s lawyers pointed out that the decision of the Assembly of Deputies of 24 November did not contain any grounds for the dismissal of Svetlana Vasilkova (they were indicated later, only in response to an inquiry from the Opochetsky District Court), and also did not mention the decision of the Assembly of Deputies on an unsatisfactory assessment of the activities of Vasilkova as the head of the district.
The trial lasted almost three hours. The defendant’s side – the Assembly of Deputies of the Pustoshkinsky District, the Governor of the Pskov Region and the Acting Head of the District – stated that they were completely satisfied with the decision of the Opochetsky District Court and asked to leave in force.
The court made corrections to the operative part of the decision of the Opochetsky District Court, considering that the court violated the technique of formalising the court decision, but did not change the decision on the merits.
Svetlana Vasilkova and her representatives will appeal against this decision to the Third Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction (St. Petersburg).
Posted: January 23rd, 2023 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2021, YABLOKO Against the Parties of Power, Yabloko's Regional Branches, Без рубрики.