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JAAC 65.127 AI generated

Right to Independent and Impartial Tribunal (Article 6 ECHR) – Lawyer-Judge Representing Opposing Party

Case Number JAAC 65.127
Court / Authority
Jurisdiction Switzerland · Administrative Practice of Federal Authorities (VPB) (CH)
Decision Date
Outcome Allowed / Granted
Open official source Entscheidsuche mirror Machine-readable Markdown (.md)

Legislator summary

AI generated

The court found a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the right to an independent and impartial tribunal. While the practice of part-time lawyer-judges is generally accepted in Switzerland, in this specific case, one of the judges hearing the applicant's appeal was simultaneously representing the opposing party in a separate matter involving the applicant. This situation created objectively justified fears that the judge might not be impartial, thus rendering the administrative court of Zurich not independent and impartial as required by the Convention.

Legislator headnote

AI generated

Art. 6 Abs. 1 EMRK, Art. 6 § 1 CEDH; Right to Independent and Impartial Tribunal (Article 6 ECHR) – Lawyer-Judge Representing Opposing Party: While the practice of part-time lawyer-judges is generally accepted in Switzerland, in this specific case, one of the judges hearing the applicant's appeal was simultaneously representing the opposing party in a separate matter involving the applicant. This situation created objectively justified fears that the judge might not be impartial, thus rendering the administrative court of Zurich not independent and impartial as required by the Convention.

Keywords

AI generated
european Convention on Human Rights judicial impartiality hearing of the parties violation of party rights right to an effective remedy right to a decision

Cited Legislation

AI generated
Art. 6 Abs. 1 EMRK
Art. 6 § 1 CEDH
The court found that the administrative tribunal did not constitute an independent and impartial tribunal within the meaning of this provision due to a conflict of interest concerning one of its judges.
AI generated
JAAC 56.56
Right to Independent and Impartial Tribunal: Judicial Impartiality Presumed Unless Doubts Arise

Key legal questions extracted by Legislator

AI generated
Art. 6 § 1 CEDH

The court found that the administrative tribunal did not constitute an independent and impartial tribunal within the meaning of this provision due to a conflict of interest concerning one of its judges.

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Full text

JAAC 65.127

Arrêt du 21 décembre 2000 rendu en anglais[91] par la Cour eur. DH, affaire H.P. WETTSTEIN c / Suisse, Recueil des arrêts et décisions 2000

Arrêt Wettstein. Indépendance et impartialité du Tribunal administratif du canton de Zurich. Violation de la CEDH. Art. 6 § 1 CEDH. Droit à un tribunal indépendant et impartial. La pratique, courante en Suisse, de la participation d’avocats en qualité de juges à temps partiel n’est pas remise en question. En l’espèce cependant, l’un des juges chargés d’examiner l’appel du requérant était, en même temps, l’avocat de la partie adverse dans une autre affaire le concernant. Ce dernier avait des raisons objectives de craindre que ce magistrat ne remplisse pas les critères d’impartialité requis par l’art. 6 § 1 CEDH. Le Tribunal administratif du canton de Zurich ne constituait donc pas un tribunal indépendant et impartial au sens de cette disposition.

Urteil Wettstein. Unabhängigkeit und Unparteilichkeit des Verwaltungsgerichts des Kantons Zürich. Verletzung der EMRK. Art. 6 Abs. 1 EMRK. Anspruch auf ein unabhängiges und unparteiisches Gericht. Die in der Schweiz geläufige Praxis, dass Anwältinnen und Anwälte als nebenamtliche Richterinnen und Richter amten, wird nicht in Frage gestellt. Im vorliegenden Fall jedoch vertrat eine der Richterinnen und Richter, die ein vom Beschwerdeführer eingelegtes Rechtsmittel zu behandeln hatten, in einem anderen ihn betreffenden Verfahren als Anwältin die Gegenpartei. Dies berechtigte ihn zu objektiv begründeten Zweifeln, ob diese Richterin über die von Art. 6 Abs. 1 EMRK geforderte Unparteilichkeit verfüge. Das Verwaltungsgericht des Kantons Zürich stellte somit kein unabhängiges und unparteiisches Gericht im Sinne dieser Konventionsbestimmung dar.

Sentenza Wettstein. Indipendenza e imparzialità del Tribunale amministrativo del cantone Zurigo. Violazione della CEDU. Art. 6 § 1 CEDU. Diritto a un tribunale indipendente e imparziale. La prassi, corrente in Svizzera, secondo cui gli avvocati svolgono la funzione di giudici quale attività accessoria, non è rimessa in questione. Tuttavia, nella fattispecie uno dei giudici incaricati di esaminare l’appello del richiedente era, allo stesso tempo, l’avvocato della controparte in un altro procedimento. Il richiedente aveva oggettive ragioni di temere che questo magistrato non rispettasse i criteri di imparzialità richiesti dall’art. 6 § 1 CEDU. Il Tribunale amministrativo del cantone Zurigo non era quindi un tribunale indipendente e imparziale ai sensi di questa disposizione.

Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv, Digitale Amtsdruckschriften Archives fédérales suisses, Publications officielles numérisées Archivio federale svizzero, Pubblicazioni ufficiali digitali

JAAC 65.127 - Arrêt du 21 décembre 2000 rendu en anglais[91] par la Cour eur. DH, affaire H.P. WETTSTEIN c / Suisse, Recueil des arrêts et décisions 2000

In Verwaltungspraxis der Bundesbehörden Dans Jurisprudence des autorités administratives de la Confédération In Giurisprudenza delle autorità amministrative della Confederazione

Jahr 2001 Année Anno

Band 65 Volume Volume

Seite --- Page Pagina

Ref. No 150 005 021

Das Dokument wurde durch das Schweizerische Bundesarchiv und die Bundeskanzlei konvertiert. Le document a été digitalisé par les Archives Fédérales Suisses et la Chancellerie fédérale. Il documento è stato convertito dall'Archivio federale svizzero e della Cancelleria federale.