Law Students Enhance their Skills in All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court 3.0. [translations pending]

On 16-18 November, 30 students from various Ukrainian universities gathered in Lviv for the All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court in Lviv, a pioneering award-winning project in Ukraine. 

The Moot Court aims to increase the interest of students in the fight against corruption in Ukraine. It provides valuable knowledge in criminal law, corruption crime investigation, and trial proceedings. 

Launched by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) with support from the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in 2021, the project expanded this year with additional partners, including the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), the Ukrainian Catholic University and UN’s Development Program in Ukraine.

The project consisted of two stages: online and offline, where students imitate the stages of the criminal investigation. This year, during the online stage, 150 teams from 23 regions competed. 10 teams advanced to the offline stage of the competition in Lviv. 

“The Moot Court is not just a competition. It is also about creating a better society with rule of law and justice. I believe that these young, brainy and extremely motivated students gathered in Lviv will be the backbone of Ukraine’s future – and don’t expect any tolerance of corrupt behaviour. The EUACI has supported the project from the very beginning, for the 3rd year in a row.  We really appreciate that we do this project together with our partners – the anticorruption agencies. It’s great that they give priority to the work with youth and provide their best experts detectives, prosecutors, judges to share their knowledge and insight with youth” — remarked Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EUACI, during the opening ceremony.

During the three days, teams competed in simulations of conducting searches and criminal trial debates, but also participated in training sessions led by NABU detectives on the intricacies of conducting searches in top corruption cases. They also attended sessions conducted by HACC judges and representatives of NACP on civil asset forfeiture. The Moot Court featured a distinguished panel of judges, including experts in criminal justice such as NABU detectives, SAPO prosecutors, HACC judges, EUACI experts, and academics. 

A special guest at the event was Supreme Court Judge Dmytro Hudyma. 

Karina Maksymenko, a law student and participant, expressed, ‘The high level of competition was evident from the initial stages. As we progressed, we realized our shared goal—to build an anti-corruption future for Ukraine. For me, this year’s moot court embodies the spirit of community’.

The joint team from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and Ukrainian Catholic University, named ‘RONAVI,’ emerged as the winners. The main prize of the competition is an internship at EUACI.