On 1 March Ukraine’s Parliament passed bill No. 7440 on the High Anti-Corruption Court in the first reading. 282 MPs supported the bill.
According to the draft bill, the candidate for the position of a judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court is elected on a competitive basis. He or she should be a citizen of Ukraine, at least 35 years old, with at least 5 years of experience as a judge, in the academic area for at least 7 years, be admitted to a bar.
The creation of a High Anti-Corruption Court is one of the pre-conditions from the International Monetary Fund. According to Andriy Parubiy, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the second reading of the bill will be finalized in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the International Monetary Fund.
“We welcome the adoption of draft bill No. 7440 in the first reading. It’s the first step forward to the creation of the High Anticorruption Court in Ukraine. We expect further amendments to this draft bill in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and demands from the civil society in Ukraine. EUACI is ready to support the establishment of the Anticorruption court as an essential part of the anti-corruption reform in Ukraine”, said Eka Tkeshelasvhili, the Head of EU Anti-Corruption Initiative.
