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Russians view U.S. justice in mock trial
By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer
TAMPA -- The federal trial had all the trappings of a regular case. The judge listened in her black robe from on high. A stenographer took down everything that was said. The prosecutors and defense attorneys asked direct questions, often with a familiar ring of righteous indignation. The biggest difference was the eight Russian judges and legal scholars playing the role of jurors. The Russian delegation came to Tampa to learn some of the nuts and bolts of how the U.S. justice system works. On Monday, the tableau was a mock trial involving the fictitious theft of a $500,000 golf glove once worn by Tiger Woods. The Russian judges were not asked to render a verdict, but they appeared to like what they saw during the "trial." Through an interpreter, one complimented the six Stetson College of Law students who acted as the lawyers, detective and defendant. Another said he was impressed with the technology showcased in the trial. Witnesses testified live from Jacksonville and Anchorage, Alaska, using video conferencing equipment. The lawyers also used a sophisticated computer system that allowed them to draw on the screen, much like a football announcer analyzing plays. Sergey Sazonov said he liked the mock trial and thought the glimpse into the American justice system would be helpful. Sazonov worked as a prosecutor for 13 years in Russia before being appointed a year ago to the newly created position of justice of the peace, similar to magistrate judges in the federal system who handle minor criminal cases and many administrative and civil disputes. "There are certainly differences between the two systems," he said through an interpreter. "But there are many similarities as well." Russia recently enacted extensive legal reforms, including provisions to expand the use of jury trials and give judges exclusive power to approve search warrants and to allow for pretrial detention. Russia also reformed its bankruptcy legislation to bring it more in line with bankruptcy practices in market economies. In court on Monday, the Russian delegation asked about how the evidence was presented. Tatyana Yegorova of the city court in St. Petersburg, Russia, observed that American prosecutors can move from witness to witness without always filling in the gaps in their testimony. In Russia, she explained, prosecutors must try hard to provide an uninterrupted chain of events that describe the alleged crime. The delegation came to the Tampa area as part of an Open World Program run by the Library of Congress. This year, the program brought about 2,500 emerging Russian political and civic leaders to the United States for a look at our democratic institutions. The Tampa delegation was part of the rule of law section, which provides a hands-on look at how American courts operate. The delegation received an intensive two-day orientation in Washington before arriving in Tampa over the weekend. They will spend a week in the area visiting, among other places, the Pinellas County Jail, the U.S. Marshal's Office, the Tampa Port Authority and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, which owns the St. Petersburg Times. They will also get to hobnob with local, state and federal law enforcement and political leaders, including U.S. Reps. C.W. Bill Young of Indian Rocks Beach and Henry J. Hyde of Illinois. After the mock trial on Monday, some of the judges observed a real sentencing. Others took a tour of bankruptcy court. Valery Musin, a professor at St. Petersburg University and one-time thesis adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the exchange helps to open eyes and to generate ideas on how to improve the Russian legal system. "There is always room to improve," he said. -- Graham Brink can be reached at (813) 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com .
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