We call on MPs to support draft laws that will ensure the liquidation of the District Administrative Court of Ukraine

We, the representatives of NGOs that have been fighting for years for the establishment of a fair justice in Ukraine, welcome the President’s initiative to liquidate  the scandalous District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK) and call on MPs to immediately adopt the proposed draft laws in the first reading.

On April 13, Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to Verkhovna Rada the urgent draft laws №5369 “On Liquidation of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv and Establishment of the Kyiv City District Administrative Court”, as well as draft law №5370 “On Amendments to Section XII “Final and Transitional Provisions” of the Law of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges”, which shall liquidate the scandalous DACK immediately, without waiting until the formation of a new court.

The liquidation of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv meets the public demand and is supported by the relevant NGOs and experts. We shall remind that the petition on liquidation of the DACK gained more than 25 thousand signatures on the website of the President of Ukraine. And such a reaction to the actions of this judicial institution does not just appear out of thin air.

The DACK is known for a number of anti-Ukrainian decisions that are difficult to call legal. NABU has repeatedly released tapes recorded in the office of DACK president Pavlo Vovk, which shed light on large-scale corruption and attempts to seize state power. Judges of this institution have repeatedly been involved in corruption cases. The above proves that this court has long been working against the interests of Ukraine.

During this time, the High Council of Justice and other judicial authorities have shown a failure to respond adequately to the threat to national security by the DACK and the blatant incompatibility of its judges with their positions. This means that the liquidation of this court is the only possible effective response of the authorities to the inquiry of the Ukrainian society for justice. Any delay in deciding to liquidate the DACK will be used by corrupt judges against the interests of the state, its institutional capacity, and will pose a threat to national security.

Therefore, we urge MPs not to delay the adoption of the draft laws that liquidate the DACK and to do so immediately in one reading.

At the same time, in order to comprehensively overcome the problem of the DACK, it is necessary to urgently resolve the issue of selecting the high-integrity members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges with the participation of international experts. It is also worth adopting a separate procedure for the selection of judges of the new Kyiv City District Administrative Court, which will guarantee that only professional candidates of high integrity will be appointed to it.

Signers:
Automaidan
Anti-Corruption Action Centre
DEJURE Foundation
Transparency International Ukraine
Chesno
Center for Economic Strategy
StateWatch
Center for Public Monitoring
Bihus.Info
“Public Control” Platform
The Centre of United Actions
Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre 
Institute of Legislative Ideas