President of Ukraine appointed the judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court
11 April an official ceremony for the appointment of 38 judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) and the swearing ceremony was held in Kyiv. Twenty-seven of them were appointed as judges of the HACC and 11 became judges of the Appeal Chamber of HACC.
The corresponding decrees has been published on the President of Ukraine official website:
The decree of the appointment of the judges of the HACC
The decree of the appointment of the judges of the Appeal Chamber of HACC
Among newly appointed judges there are 22 judges, 13 lawyers and 3 academicians.
The European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) welcomes the decision of President of Ukraine on the appointment of the judges of the HACC, which brings closer the moment of the full functioning of the HACC. Together with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the High Anti-Corruption Court form a unified system which should increase Ukraine’s capacity to counteract corruption and adjudicate crimes involving corruption.
EUACI together with international donors supported the organization and implementation of a three-week Orientation programme for the judges of the HACC lead by the National School of Judges . A series of training modules from 2 till 10 of April were organized with the support of the EUACI. In order to conduct these trainings EUACI had selected top-notch foreign and Ukrainian lawyers with huge practical and academic experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, legal proceedings. EUACI have also involved the former judge of European Court for Human Rights.
The competition for the positions of HACC judges began in August 2018. Applications were received from 343 candidates from across the country and 207 were accepted to the next stages of the competition. It included anonymous written test, practical tasks, psychological testing. Their dossier were analyzed by the members of the HQCJ and PCIE for the sake of integrity (morality, honesty, incorruptibility), as well as the availability of knowledge and practical skills for the consideration of relevant cases. With the support of international donors, a special Public Council of International Experts was formed. PCIE assisted the High Qualification Commission of Judges in the preparation of decisions on appointment to the positions of judges of the High Anticorruption Court.
The HACC is expected to be fully operational this summer.