The Verkhovna Rada may pass in the first reading the harmful draft law No. 14149 or its no less harmful alternative No. 14149-1. Both documents restrict the independence of the Advisory Group of Experts (AGE) in the selection of judges for the Constitutional Court (CCU). They also create the risk of political “re-evaluation” of the… Continue reading Draft Law No. 14149: a threat to independent selection of Constitutional Court judges
The Advisory Group of Experts (AGE) has completed the stage of assessing the competency level of candidates for the positions of judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU). The next step is determining the ranking of candidates and submitting them to the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy. The competition for two positions is being… Continue reading Selection to the Constitutional Court: nine candidates advance to the next stage
The Office of the Prosecutor General has opened an absurd criminal proceeding against officials of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP). They are allegedly accused of abusing power or official position for the purpose of obtaining unlawful benefit (Article 364 of the Criminal Code). In reality, the reason is that the leadership of the… Continue reading How the Bar Association and the Prosecutor General joined forces to pressure the NACP over the anti-corruption strategy
The right of the Congress of Judges to recall a member of the High Council of Justice, which has meanwhile allegedly become a punitive body, as well as abandoning the obligation of judges to report interference in their work to the Prosecutor General and the HCJ — these are the ideas promoted by Vitalii Salikhov… Continue reading The Course of Salikhov, Head of the Council of Judges, toward impunity and control over the High Council of Justice
On Thursday, April 16, the DEJURE Foundation, the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), MEZHA, and AutoMaidan presented a new EU-funded project on monitoring justice sector reforms during the conference “Operation European Integration: Reforms in the Justice Sector.” The project, titled “Civic Engagement for the Protection of the Rule of Law and Institutional Integrity,” strengthens the role… Continue reading With EU support, a coalition of Ukrainian civil society organizations launches a project to safeguard justice sector reforms
Today, it became known that the Public Integrity Council (PIC) had decided to expel Serhii Fesenko from its membership. The decision was based on substantiated concerns regarding his academic integrity in the process of writing his dissertation. We believe that adherence to the principles of integrity is fundamental both to the selection of judges and… Continue reading DEJURE Foundation on the Public Integrity Council’s decision to expel one of its members
The worst has not happened. However, the threat has not disappeared — it has merely been postponed. The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court has already postponed its decision for the fourth time in the case where the scandalous Pavlo Vovk is challenging his dismissal as a judge. This time, the hearing has been rescheduled… Continue reading The Supreme Court is dragging its feet. Vovk has not been saved — yet
A decision by the Supreme Court in favour of Pavlo Vovk will create a domino effect—at least 18 judges of the liquidated District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK) may avoid dismissal. Pavlo Vovk and his fellow DACK judges became notorious due to recordings made by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in Vovk’s own office. In these… Continue reading A ruling in Vovk’s favor will save around 20 other judges of the DACK
On 7 April, the Advisory Group of Experts (AGE) completed the assessment of moral qualities within the selection process for two vacant positions on the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) under the Parliament’s quota. Out of 15 candidates who reached the interview stage, 10 were found to meet the criterion of high moral qualities: Hanna… Continue reading The Advisory Group of Experts announced the candidates who advanced to the next stage of the selection for the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
The decisive hearing of the Supreme Court on the reinstatement of Pavlo Vovk as a judge is approaching. The decision regarding the scandalous former head of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK) was expected to be announced back in January, but was postponed until April 9. Vovk is challenging the admissibility of evidence from… Continue reading Trial of the system: will Pavlo Vovk return to the bench?
The Parliament has missed the deadline for adopting a draft law that is part of the required reforms on Ukraine’s path to the European Union. This concerns legislative initiatives in the field of legal education that were supposed to enter into force by the end of the first quarter of 2026. The Government approved the… Continue reading Overdue reforms: what is happening with legal education on the path to the EU
The High Council of Justice (HCJ) unanimously recognised that the actions of the Bar self-governance bodies in holding HCJ member Roman Maselko disciplinarily liable constituted interference in his activities. The HCJ once again emphasised that such actions discredit its work as an independent constitutional body and undermine the authority of the judiciary as a whole.… Continue reading The High Council of Justice recognized the actions of bar self-governance bodies as interference in the activities of its member and as discrediting the Council’s decisions
