As the Moscow City Court approaches its 80th anniversary Jubilee, on 13 December, its Judges were granted state awards. In particular, The MCC Judges Natalia Olihver and Vladimir Usov received accolades “For faultless service.”

However, the European Court of Human Rights recently assessed the professionalism of Natalia Olihver somewhat differently. Indeed, in the case of “Pichugin v Russia”, the ECHR decided that Olihver had breached a series of regulations during Pichugin’s first trial.

Judge Vladimir Usov, ruled Pichugin guilty in his second trial. Usov played a further role in the Yukos case when he declined Khodorkovsky and Lebedev’s cassation appeal on their second sentencing.

Perhaps the Moscow City Court Judges Olihver and Usov do serve faultlessly. The question is, whether they serve the law or the government.