MOSCOW, October 10 (RAPSI) – Seven judges of the Supreme Commercial Court have filed resignation applications with the qualification board, court press secretary Anna Kovalyova told RAPSI Thursday.

Their resignation is reportedly linked to the merger of the Supreme Commercial Court with the Supreme Court voiced by President Vladimir Putin last June.

During a plenary meeting in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, lawmaker Yelena Mizulina reportedly described the two-branch court system as having a negative impact on the general public.

The draft law on the merger was submitted to the Parliament on October 7. It is expected to be adopted by both houses by the end of this year.
In the Russian judicial system, general jurisdiction courts consider civil lawsuits, crimes and cases involving administrative offenses. This branch of the system is headed by the Supreme Court. Commercial courts hear economic disputes between legal entities pertaining to civil, administrative and other relationships.

The draft law on the merger proposes that  the Supreme Commercial Court should be dissolved within six months after the Constitution is amended.