4.  The applicant was born in 1951 and lives in the town of Kryvyy Rig, Ukraine. 5.  On 12 August 2002 the applicant instituted proceedings in the Saksaganskyy District Court of Kryvyy Rig (“the District Court”) against a private company, his former employer, seeking the rectification of his work records, recovery of various payments, and claiming compensation for non-pecuniary damage. 6.  On 17 May 2004 the District Court ordered an expert examination and suspended proceedings. The next hearing was held on 6 April 2005. 7.  On 7 June 2005 the District Court ruled in part for the applicant, ordering the company to pay him 17,237.47 Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH)[1] and to rectify the applicant's work records. 8.  According to the records provided by the Government, out of seventeen hearings scheduled between 12 August 2002 and 7 June 2005, six were adjourned because of the absence, or at the request, of the defendant or his representative, and one was adjourned because of the absence of both parties. 9.  On 27 December 2005 the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Court of Appeal quashed the judgment in part and reduced the award to UAH 1,925[2]. On 10 February 2006 the applicant lodged an appeal in cassation with the Supreme Court. 10.  Meanwhile, the judgment given in the applicant's favour was enforced on 18 January 2007.
11  On 2 April 2008 the Court of Appeal of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, sitting as a court of cassation, upheld the judgments of the lower courts.