Judge fired after falling asleep in court
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian judge has been fired after he caught 40 winks in court and then sentenced an outraged defendant to five years in prison.
Judge Yevgeny Makhno of Blagoveshchensk City Court in Russia's Far East was forced to resign Friday for obviously falling asleep several times while trying a businessman on charges of fraud.
The case became a national scandal after the defendant's lawyer posted several videos online of Makhno asleep in court. The videos were then shown on state television.
Makhno claimed that he was not sleeping, but listening with his eyes closed, the reports said.
But since a higher court decided not to punish him, Makhno only has to take an exam to be reinstated.
The defendant, however, will be given a new trial.
Judge Yevgeny Makhno of Blagoveshchensk City Court in Russia's Far East was forced to resign Friday for obviously falling asleep several times while trying a businessman on charges of fraud.
The case became a national scandal after the defendant's lawyer posted several videos online of Makhno asleep in court. The videos were then shown on state television.
Makhno claimed that he was not sleeping, but listening with his eyes closed, the reports said.
But since a higher court decided not to punish him, Makhno only has to take an exam to be reinstated.
The defendant, however, will be given a new trial.
"Listening with his eyes closed" LMAO!!! My kids have used that same line!
 @The WA Mama My Grandpa use to say "I'm listening, I'm just resting my eyes."
 @queenofthenight  @The WA Mama That's totally my Dad.  He also claimed that he wasn't watching the soaps when my Mom and I were but somehow he knew the plot as well or better than we did...