Institutions to ensure openness, transparency and strengthening public control are the keys of state policy to combat corruption.

As a result of the reforms initiated by the President of Uzbekistan in recent years, new mechanisms are being effectively implemented to ensure openness and transparency in all areas of public administration, including the judicial system.

In particular, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated June 16, 2021 No. DP-6247 ‘On additional measures to ensure the openness of the activities of government bodies and organizations, as well as the effective implementation of public control’, since December 1, 2021 the practice of holding court hearings has been established with the consent of the parties in cases related to offenses encroaching on the rights and freedoms of citizens and public safety, in the field of protecting public health, protecting ecology, the environment and natural resources, including those related to the professional activities of civil servants, as well as in individual civil cases relating to family disputes (except for closed court sessions).

In addition, in order to ensure transparency of the courts’ activities, make fair court decisions, and increase the public’s trust and confidence in the judiciary, modern information and communication technologies based on advanced international experience are being widely introduced.

In particular, in the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated August 30, 2017 ‘On measures for the further introduction of modern information and communication technologies into the activities of courts’, one of the main tasks is to ensure openness, transparency and efficiency of the activities of courts, improve the quality of legal proceedings and the level of public access, eradication of red tape, bureaucracy and abuse on the part of court employees.

In order to ensure the implementation of these tasks, the possibility of using interactive services provided by courts to individuals and legal entities on the basis of one address has been created, and the procedure for using interactive services provided by courts to individuals and legal entities has been simplified.

For example, today, through the website exsud.sud.uz, all willing can send appeals to the courts electronically, track the process of their consideration online, and receive court decisions electronically. After the integration of the information systems of the Supreme Court and the Compulsory Enforcement Bureau, it became possible to send enforcement documents issued by the courts to the Compulsory Enforcement Bureau in electronic form, confirmed by the electronic signature of judges, and receive information about their execution online.

The practice of online familiarization with the list of cases scheduled for court hearings in the first, appeal and cassation instances through Majlislar Jadvali - jadval.sud.uz has been established. Also, in the courts of first instance, software has been fully implemented that allows for automatic equal distribution of cases between judges without the human factor, based on the principles of fairness and impartiality.

For to ensure accuracy of payments for citizens and entrepreneurs when going to court, a unified electronic payment system has been launched to record the amounts of state duties and court fees through the Electronic Payment System - billing.sud.uz.

On an experimental basis, an online registration system for personal appointments with the leadership of the Supreme Court was introduced through the Electronic Reception (qabul.sud.uz), as well as mobile video conferencing (vka.sud.uz), which makes it possible to participate in a court hearing from any part in the world.

Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated December 7, 2020 No. DP-6127 ‘On measures to ensure the true independence of judges and increase the effectiveness of preventing corruption in the judicial system’ became another important step in ensuring openness and transparency in the activities of the judiciary.

In the Decree, ensuring objectivity and transparency in the selection, preparation and appointment of judges, as well as evaluating the performance of judges, the consistent introduction of modern information technologies in these processes is designated as one of the main directions of state policy to ensure the independence of judges and prevent corruption in the judicial system.

In addition, the Decree outlines the task of organizing online coverage via the Internet (website) of examination processes when selecting candidates for appointment to the position of judge, aimed at preventing cases of corruption in the judicial system, ensuring openness and transparency in the activities of the Supreme Judicial Council and the judiciary system.

An electronic program has been launched to assist in assessing the suitability of candidates for the position of judge based on their psychological profile. Specific criteria have also been developed and put into practice to ensure an open and transparent assessment of the performance of judges through electronic ratings.

All these measures indicate that Uzbekistan strictly and consistently pursues a policy of openness, paying great attention to preventing and eliminating the causes and conditions that cause corruption in the judicial system, ensuring justice, and thereby raising reliance to the judiciary.

 

Press Office

The Anti-Corruption Agency

6 September, 2023