The number of cases considered by the Vitebsk Regional Economic Court increased by 62% in five months

June 15, Vitebsk / Sergey Kotovets - BELTA /. The number of lawsuits considered by the Vitebsk Regional Economic Court for 5 months of 2009 increased by 62% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 3.6 thousand cases, the head of the court's judicial practice department, Olga Kibisova, told a BELTA correspondent. An increase in the number of lawsuits is observed in almost all districts of the region, while the amount of claims declared for recovery increased from Br50 billion (as of June 1, 2008) to Br178 billion (as of June 1, 2009). If for the previous two years the growth in the number of lawsuits was from 2% to 7%, then in the current year this figure significantly exceeds the data of previous years, emphasized Olga Kibisova. In this situation, the relevance of using the opportunities provided by the legislation to optimize the judicial process in economic justice increases, namely, the consideration of cases in order of writ proceedings and the application of mediation procedures. The Economic Court intends to strengthen the promotion of simplified procedures among business entities. In this regard, the Vitebsk Regional Economic Court initiated the consideration at a meeting of the regional executive committee of the issue of activating simplified procedures in order to save budget funds. As court practice shows, if in 2008 Br3.3 billion of state duty was paid, then for 5 months of 2009 this amount was Br2.9 billion, that is, significant funds are diverted for these purposes, stated Olga Kibisova. The application of simplified procedures allows business entities not only to save money but also to reduce the costs of budget funds spent by courts on considering disputes and enforcing decisions. Thus, in 2009, the regional economic court initiated mediation procedures in more than 600 cases, and in 80% of cases, the parties concluded a settlement agreement. In the near future, the issue of intensifying the application of simplified court procedures will be considered at meetings of the city and district executive committees of the region. -0-