How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? April 21–25, 2025 - E6557

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How Did the Week Go for the High Council of Justice? May 19–23, 2025
How Did the Week Go for the High Council of Justice? May 19–23, 2025

It was a busy week for the High Council of Justice (HCJ): judges suspected of bribery, judges who covered for drunk drivers, or drove drunk themselves… A pattern of selective accountability emerged, where some judges were dismissed while others were spared with softer disciplinary actions. DEJURE...

Is the SBI Hiding Motion to Search the HQCJ Premises?
Is the SBI Hiding Motion to Search the HQCJ Premises?

Members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) have appealed to the High Council of Justice (HCJ) due to pressure from the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI). In March 2025, the SBI conducted searches at the HQCJ premises and at the home of Oleksii Omelian, the Commission’s Deputy...

The Supreme Court in the shadow of scandals: corruption, obstruction of reform, and a Russian connection
The Supreme Court in the shadow of scandals: corruption, obstruction of reform, and a Russian connection

The article was originally published on pravda.com.ua. In 2025, Ukrainians’ distrust of the Supreme Court reached 69%, as shown by a sociological survey conducted by the DEJURE Foundation. Among the main reasons for their negative attitude toward the judicial system, Ukrainians cite corruption...

How Did the Week Go for the High Council of Justice? May 12–16, 2025
How Did the Week Go for the High Council of Justice? May 12–16, 2025

This week (May 12–16), the disciplinary chambers of the High Council of Justice (HCJ) resolved very few cases on the merits. This appears to be due either to disciplinary inspectors failing to prepare opinions within the legally established deadlines or to the chambers focusing mainly on dismissin...

How Did the Week Go for the High Council of Justice? May 5–9, 2025
How Did the Week Go for the High Council of Justice? May 5–9, 2025

During the week of May 5–9, the High Council of Justice (HCJ) faced questions about its tolerance toward judges who have engaged in misconduct, most notably, drunk driving and helping other drunk drivers evade liability. While this is not an exhaustive list of their wrongdoings, it appears that th...

International Experts Being Phased Out: Will the Authorities Let the Courts Return to the Yanukovych Era?
International Experts Being Phased Out: Will the Authorities Let the Courts Return to the Yanukovych Era?

By DEJURE Foundation, Automaidan NGO, and Anti-Corruption Action Center This summer may bring good news for judges longing for the rollback of judicial reform and the return of the impunity they enjoyed back in 2013. On June 1, the tenure of international experts on the Selection Commission for the...

How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? April 28 – May 2, 2025
How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? April 28 – May 2, 2025

Bribes, violations of recusal rules, and shielding drunk drivers — which judges did the High Council of Justice (HCJ) review this week (April 28 – May 2, 2025), and what decisions were made? Positive decisions: Ihor Ratushniak — judge of the Tyvriv District Court in Vinnytsia Oblast. Referred...

The Council of Judges Nominates Low-Integrity Candidates Again: Who Will Select Judges for the New Administrative Courts?
The Council of Judges Nominates Low-Integrity Candidates Again: Who Will Select Judges for the New Administrative Courts?

On May 1, the Council of Judges of Ukraine (CoJ) published a list of nominees for the Expert Council, which will vet candidates for judicial positions in the two new administrative courts. Unfortunately, the CoJ has consistently nominated low-integrity candidates to key selection bodies. Among past...

Only One Month Left in the Tenure of International Experts Critical to Reform
Only One Month Left in the Tenure of International Experts Critical to Reform

By June 1, the tenure of international experts in the Selection Commission for appointing members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) will expire. Once they leave, odious domestic institutions will appoint their own representatives to the Commission — a move that would, without e...

High Anti-Corruption Court Imposes Bail on HQCJ Member Luhanskyi
High Anti-Corruption Court Imposes Bail on HQCJ Member Luhanskyi

On April 30, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure in the form of bail on Volodymyr Luhanskyi, a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ). The bail was set at 242,000 UAH. The case concerns Luhanskyi’s fake academic degree, as first reported by the Anti-Co...

A Check “for Show”: Another Attempt to Shield the Supreme Court from Accountability
A Check “for Show”: Another Attempt to Shield the Supreme Court from Accountability

Draft law No. 13165, submitted to Parliament this month by the Cabinet of Ministers, was supposed to be a step toward cleaning up the Supreme Court (SC). But it turned out to be not a genuine reform — rather, a simulation of reform meant to appease the European Commission. While the draft includes...

How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? April 21–25, 2025
How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? April 21–25, 2025

Bribes worth tens of thousands of dollars, relocation to occupied territory, and disclosure of information from closed registries. Whom did the High Council of Justice (HCJ) review this week (April 21–25, 2025), and what decisions were made? Positive developments: Yurii Slyva — judge of the Kyiv...

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