MOSCOW, February 19 - RAPSI. The Russian courts of general jurisdiction heard cases against around one million people in 2012 and acquitted 5% of the defendants, said Vyacheslav Lebedev, chairman of Russia's Supreme Court.

Lebedev said at a conference of judges in Moscow on Tuesday that one million people had been charged with criminal offences.

The courts heard 40% of cases according to standard procedure and acquitted 19,000 of these defendants, 5% of the total, the judge said. 60% of the cases were heard following a special procedure, when the defendants plead guilty as charged and are subject to a lesser punishment as a result.

Almost 25% of criminal cases were dismissed.

Lebedev added that the courts of appeals revoked guilty verdicts against 58 people and not guilty verdicts against 18 people.