The Ethics Council recommended 16 candidates for the HCJ
Today, the Ethics Council recommended 16 candidates for appointment to the High Council of Justice, namely: Dmytro Hudyma, Vladyslav Kostenko, Olha Popikova, Svitlana Kruhova, Olena Kovbiy, Ihor Kushnir, Oleh Mohylnyi, Alla Kotelevets, Mykola Himon, Hryhoriy Usyk, Andriy Zhuk, Yulia Bokova, Tetiana Bondarenko, Lyubomyr Vynar, Serhiy Burlakov, Oleksandr Sasevych.
Our analysts did not find any facts indicating the low integrity of Hudyma, Kushnir, Mohylnyi and Kruhova. DEJURE Foundation, together with Anti-Corruption Action Center and Automaidan, had questions about the career paths and fortunes of other recommended candidates. Their dossiers can be found here:
1) https://cutt.ly/uBXyST0
2) https://cutt.ly/WBXyJir
We expect the Ethics Council to justify its decisions, especially regarding the recommended candidates. We will take a look and provide you with our assessment.
However, 16 recommended candidates mean that 8 (half) of them may soon be elected as members of the HCJ by the Congress of Judges. Thus, the High Council of Justice will become operational.
Currently, the HCJ has 7 members: Roman Maselko, Mykola Moroz, Dmytro Lukyanov, Oksana Blazhivska, Inna Plakhtiy, Vitaliy Salikhova, and the President of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev, ex officio.
For the HCJ to be operational, it is necessary to have at least 15 out of 21 members in its composition. In this case, the body will be able to dismiss and recommend judges for appointment, as well as consider complaints against them and apply disciplinary sanctions. Also, the plenipotentiary HCJ can allow to detain a judge if, for example, he is suspected of collaboration.
