Proceedings in the Court of First Instance of the Economic Court

Proceedings in the court of first instance constitute the fundamental stage of economic litigation. At this level, the dispute is examined on the merits, evidence is evaluated, and a judgment is rendered, forming the basis for subsequent stages of the process (appeal, cassation, supervisory review). The Economic Procedural Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (the EPC) defines not only the organizational principles of legal proceedings, but also guarantees the protection of the rights of business entities.

Composition of the Court and Participants in the Process

Cases in the court of first instance are examined by a single judge (Article 16 of the EPC).

Participants include:

• the parties (claimant and respondent);
• third parties (with and without independent claims);
• the prosecutor;
• state bodies and other entities (Articles 40–50 of the EPC);
• persons assisting the administration of justice (witnesses, experts, interpreters, specialists).

Representation in court may be carried out by attorneys or authorized representatives (Articles 61–65).

Jurisdiction and Venue of Cases

Economic courts have jurisdiction over:

• disputes arising from civil and administrative legal relations;
• insolvency (bankruptcy) cases;
• corporate and investment disputes;
• competition (antimonopoly) matters;
• recognition and enforcement of foreign court and arbitral decisions (Articles 25–31 of the EPC).

Venue is determined based on:

• the place of registration of the respondent;
• the place of performance of the obligation;
• the location of the property (Articles 32–39 of the EPC).

Evidence and Proof

The EPC provides for a wide range of evidence (Articles 66–77):

• written and physical evidence;
• witness testimony;
• expert opinions;
• digital evidence (Art. 762), including electronic data and online information.

The burden of proof is based on the principle of disclosure of evidence to the opposing party and its assessment according to the judge’s inner conviction (Article 74).

Judicial Acts of the Court of First Instance

Judicial acts include:

• judgment – the main act resolving the dispute on the merits;
• rulings – acts resolving procedural issues;
• court order – for uncontested creditor claims (Article 5 of the EPC).

A judgment of the court of first instance may be appealed.

Proceedings in the court of first instance within the economic judicial system of the Republic of Uzbekistan constitute the core mechanism for protecting entrepreneurial rights. This stage ensures adversarial procedure, equality of the parties, and judicial independence. Law-enforcement practice shows that it is at this stage that the foundations of legal certainty and fairness are established.

Time Limits for Case Consideration in the Courts of First Instance

Category of Cases	Time Limit for Consideration	Application Features
Claim proceedings (economic disputes)	Up to 2 months from the date the claim is accepted for proceedings	May be extended by the court in exceptional cases by no more than 1 month
Order (summary) proceedings	Up to 10 days from the date of submission	Examined without summoning the parties, based solely on written evidence
Cases on establishing legal facts	Up to 15 days	E.g., establishing ownership or inheritance rights
Bankruptcy (insolvency) cases	Application examined within 5 days; the case — within 1 month	The court must promptly issue a ruling initiating insolvency proceedings
Corporate disputes	Up to 2 months	Deadlines are often extended due to required expert examinations and document review
Investment disputes	Up to 2 months	At the investor’s request, may be heard by the Supreme Court as a court of first instance
Antimonopoly (competition) cases	Up to 2 months	Timeliness is essential, as such disputes affect markets and many stakeholders
Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards	Up to 1 month	Examined via simplified procedure, considering international treaties
Applications for interim (provisional) measures	Immediately, no later than 3 days	The court must promptly issue a ruling on the application for security of the claim

Thus:

• the general period for consideration of most economic cases is 2 months;
• accelerated procedures (order proceedings, interim measures, separate applications) are handled within 3–15 days;
• bankruptcy and international matters are subject to shortened procedural time limits.