Moscow, 23 May: A judge of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, Boris Ebzeyev, has accused Russian courts of attempts to ignore the constitution.

"There is a threatening growth in the number of rulings by the Constitutional Court which are not implemented or are implemented badly. I have to say with a particularly great regret that some colleagues in the courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration courts are resorting to most refined methods of creating legal loopholes while thinking it possible to ignore these rulings," Ebzeyev announced when speaking on the 1,000th session of the Russian State Duma, which is being marked as a jubilee, on Friday [23 May].

At the same time the judge stressed that "this was not about ignoring the rulings of the Constitutional Court - the Constitutional Court is only a loudspeaker, a talking head for the Constitution - and in this situation it is the Constitution that is being ignored".

"It is bad when a citizen does not observe the Constitution, but this is only a violation of the Constitution. However, when the authorities, including judicial authorities are ignoring the rulings - this amounts to flouting the Constitution," Ebzeyev said.

At the same time he added that "the executive powers, perhaps, are also in debt not to the Constitutional Court but to the current Constitution".

In this connection the judge of the Constitutional Court noted that "the State Duma, as one of he bodies of public power that exercises constitutional control, could play a positive role".