15 Months of Qualification Assessment: HQCJ Retains 61 Judges with Negative Opinions of the Public Integrity Council
It has been 15 months since the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) and the Public Integrity Council (PIC) began their joint work on cleansing the judiciary. In January 2025, the pace of HQCJ interviews slowed due to the winter holidays, so here are the results of the February 2025 qualification assessment:
142 judges (55.7%) successfully passed the HQCJ interview and will remain in office.
46 judges (26.3%) were recommended for dismissal.
For 67 judges (26.3%), the Commission issued alternative decisions:
- 42 took honorable retirement,
- 9 resigned voluntarily,
- 5 had their assessment terminated due to dismissal for disciplinary violations,
- 4 were deemed not to have acquired judicial status,
- 4 refused to undergo qualification assessment.
The HQCJ’s alignment with PIC conclusions on judicial integrity has stabilized at around 44%. Out of 108 negative conclusions fully reviewed by the Commission,
- 45 judges were recommended for dismissal,
- 2 PIC opinions were upheld in qualification assessments,
- 61 times, the Commission overruled PIC’s conclusions.
DEJURE Foundation welcomes HQCJ’s provision of proper access to judicial files for both PIC and the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE), as this will accelerate the qualification assessment and selection procedures.
Despite the generally positive cooperation between HQCJ and PIC, concerns remain. The First Panel of HQCJ recently ruled that Volodymyr Makarenko, a judge involved in prosecuting Maidan protesters, meets the requirements for his position. He will now face an interview with the full HQCJ panel.
DEJURE Foundation firmly believes that judges who revoked driver’s licenses or imprisoned Maidan protesters should not be allowed to administer justice in Ukrainian courts.
