More opportunities for the Public Integrity Council: the HQCJ approves procedure for access to judges’ and candidates’ dossiers

Yesterday, on June 4th, the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) published the procedure for granting members of the Public Integrity Council (PIC) full access to judges’ and candidates’ dossiers. The decision was passed almost unanimously, with only Lyudmyla Volkova voting against it.

The law grants PIC members full access to these files. The Commission decided to regulate this procedure, hoping that this new order will ensure access is granted fully and in a timely manner. Additionally, there are several important provisions regarding the PIC.

Notably, the HQCJ has recognised the PIC as an institutionally independent participant in the qualification evaluation process of judges and judicial candidates and will grant its members full access to judges’ and candidates’ files under a unified procedure. This decision is seen as necessary in a democratic society and aims to establish a high level of trust in the Commission’s procedures. According to the HQCJ, the intrusion into privacy rights is justified for the purpose of assessment, meaning judges and candidates must be prepared for this.

We welcome this decision by the HQCJ and will monitor how it is implemented and enforced in practice. We hope this will also expedite the qualification assessment process.