01 and, without providing any grounds, held that the applicant should remain in custody. The Government, relying on a letter drafted on 17 July 2007 by the acting first deputy of the St Petersburg City Court President, stressed that it had been impossible to schedule the first trial hearing for an earlier date because the City Court judges had been overburdened with cases. In particular, 502 cases were pending before twenty judges.
9. The first hearing fixed for 24 October 2001, as well as the following one listed for 27 November 2001 had been adjourned because the presiding judge was participating in other unrelated proceedings. The hearing fixed for 10 January 2002 was rescheduled because a co-defendant was ill and two counsel failed to appear. The hearing on 25 January 2002 also did not take place owing to the absence of free courtrooms.
10. Between 29 January and 18 March 2002 the City Court held eighteen hearings. Of four hearings fixed between 18 March and 25 September 2002, two were postponed because the presiding judge was participating in other proceedings and two were rescheduled because two co-defendants and a lawyer were ill.
2. Detention order of 1 July 2002
(extension until 30 September 2002)
11. On 1 July 2002 a new Code of Criminal Procedure became effective. On the same day the St. Petersburg City Court extended the applicant's and his co-defendants' detention until 30 September 2002, holding that they were charged with especially serious criminal offences and were liable to reoffend, pervert the course of justice and abscond. The defendants and their lawyers were not present at the hearing.
12. On 7 October 2002 the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation quashed the decision of 1 July 2002, finding that the City Court had not summoned the defendants and their lawyers.
13. On the following day the City Court re-examined the detention issue and retrospectively extended the applicant's detention for three months, until 30 September 2002. It held that the applicant and his co-defendants were charged with serious criminal offences and that if released they could pervert the course of justice, reoffend or abscond. The City Court did not cite any factual circumstances supporting its conclusion of the defendants' liability to interfere with the proceedings, to commit another offence or escape the trial.
14. The two trial hearings fixed for 23 October and 11 November 2002 were adjourned because counsel was ill. The following hearing was scheduled for 28 November 2002.
15. On 23 December 2002 the Supreme Court quashed the decision of 8 October 2002 in respect of the applicant and ordered a re-examination of the detention issue. It noted that the applicant's lawyer had been summoned to the hearing on 8 October 2002. However, he had been ill and unable to attend. The Supreme Court, reiterating that the City Court had accepted the reason for the lawyer's absence as valid, concluded that in such circumstances it should have adjourned the examination of the detention matter in respect of the applicant.
16. The City Court once again re-examined the detention matter on 24 December 2002 and retrospectively extended the applicant's detention until 30 September 2002, referring to the same grounds as in the previous detention orders.
17. The applicant and his lawyers, including retained counsel, Mr R., appealed against the decision of 24 December 2002.
18. On 11 March 2003 the Supreme Court dismissed the applicant's appeal against the decision of 24 December 2002 because no procedural or substantive violations had been established and refused to examine the statement of appeal submitted by Mr R. because the latter did not attend the appeal hearing.
3. Detention orders of 25 September and 26 December 2002
(extensions unt
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