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- I.T. on the right: The Ministry of Justice inefficiently spent 3 billion rubles on digitalization
I.T. on the right: The Ministry of Justice inefficiently spent 3 billion rubles on digitalization
The Ministry of Justice spent almost 3 billion rubles on digitalization inefficiently, the Accounting Chamber found out following an audit of the ministry. The auditors pointed out outdated equipment in the regional offices, insufficient import substitution and incorrect data in the departmental system. In addition, for three years, the Legal Aid platform for free legal consultations has not been brought to mind, it is still operating in test mode and without a safety certificate. And this is fraught with data leaks. What threatens the digital lag in the legal field is in the Izvestia material.
How is the digitalization of the Ministry of Justice going?
3 billion rubles were allocated for the digital transformation of the legal system in Russia in 2021-2023. The funds were used to automate processes, create a digital environment for free legal aid, develop IT infrastructure and introduce new platforms. Of the total amount, the Ministry of Justice used 2.7 billion, but the expected results could not be achieved. This conclusion was made by the Accounting Chamber (JV) following the results of the audit, follows from the June report of the control department (Izvestia has the document).
The auditors noted a number of shortcomings: poor planning, outdated infrastructure in the regions, incomplete and incorrect data in their own system. There are also problems with the launch of the state online platform for free legal advice to citizens.
Thus, the Justice program, which contains a plan for the digitalization of the legal field, has been repeatedly changed, according to the Joint venture report. In 2023, it was decided to simply exclude four of the seven digital indicators from it, and no goals were set for the remaining ones. The press service of the Ministry of Justice told Izvestia that the changes were technical in nature, and some of the indicators were not funded, which is why they were deleted.
In addition, according to the joint venture, more than half of the servers and computers in the territorial offices of the Ministry of Justice are already outdated — they were released before 2016. And in eight regions, there is a critical shortage of equipment.
At the same time, the auditors note an insufficient level of import substitution. There is not a single server or computer with a Russian operating system in 61 regions. Also, in a number of subjects, the share of purchases of domestic software amounted to less than half of the total cost of IT equipment, whereas in recent years this has been a priority for the state.
One of the main digital projects of the Ministry of Justice is the Unified State Information System (UIS). It was supposed to combine the key resources of the department on one platform. However, the auditors found that the data in the system is incomplete and often incorrect.
The Ministry of Justice itself, however, told Izvestia that the shortcomings were isolated and related to the human factor. The Agency is taking measures to minimize the shortcomings.
Another development, the Legal Aid information system, also caused claims from the joint venture. It was created to provide citizens with remote access to free legal support. However, as the auditors pointed out, the basic requirements provided for such platforms have not been met: for example, the system operates without a security certificate. In addition, it is still actually in test mode, and the legal act on its launch has not been issued.
The Ministry of Justice, in turn, clarified that they plan to put the system into commercial operation with all the necessary documents by October 2025.
Based on the results of the audit, the Joint Venture sent recommendations to the Ministry of Justice to eliminate the shortcomings. The department said that all of them have already been analyzed, they will be eliminated.
What is the threat of digital lag in the legal system
The digitalization of the legal system in Russia is developing unevenly. According to Yulia Ramzenkova, a member of the Russian Bar Association, there are many working projects in the country, from electronic courts to many services on the Gosuslugi platform. However, the lack of a unified strategy and poor coordination between departments lead to fragmented efforts. Digital projects are often duplicated or not fully operational.
"There is a lack of a systematic approach: we need to carefully analyze digital needs, standardize approaches, update infrastructure and ensure communication between solutions," she explained.
Projects are often limited to formal budget allocation, while attention to the end result remains weak, according to Vladimir Chernov, analyst at Freedom Finance Global. In his opinion, in practice this is reflected in the lagging technical base, the lack of specialists, as well as the lack of interdepartmental integration.
The legal system is one of the most complex and bureaucratic in the state, said Pavel Terelyansky, Professor, Deputy Head of the Digital Transformation Department at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. He believes that the main problem in the digitalization of justice is that electronic document management is completely duplicated by paper anyway. So there doesn't seem to be enough motivation to develop online services.
The transition to technology requires a complete review of the functioning of the judicial and legal system, which has been built for centuries, he stressed.
Digitalization is not just about convenience. This is the basis for access to justice and protection of rights, the expert noted. According to him, the backlog in this area undermines confidence in the system, increases costs for citizens and businesses, especially in the regions. In addition, it reduces the competitiveness of the Russian legal environment at the international level, Yulia Ramzenkova added.
Experts call the Legal Aid platform one of such examples.
— The platform is currently operating in trial mode, without a safety certificate. This means that users' personal data is not properly protected, which is unacceptable when working with sensitive legal information," Yulia Ramzenkova emphasized.
Economist Andrey Barkhota, in turn, pointed out the duplication of functions. According to him, alternative legal support services have been operating in Russia for a long time, including commercial platforms and face-to-face consulting centers. In the presence of such solutions, it is not fully clear why people needed the Ministry of Justice platform at all, he believes.
The Ministry of Justice itself told Izvestia that by the end of 2024, over 63,000 consultations were provided using the system — 19% more than in 2023. At the same time, at the end of 2024, there were almost 35 million Russians in Russia who were eligible for such assistance, Pavel Terelyansky noted. According to him, the low degree of use of the system is primarily due to the general level of legal illiteracy of the population, which is exactly what needs to be addressed.
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