Volodymyr Luhanskyi, a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ), received salary bonuses for a “Doctor of Philosophy” degree during his tenure at the Sievierodonetsk City Court. The Ministry of Education and Science had previously confirmed that this degree was fraudulent, as reported by the Anti-Corruption Action Centre. Background of the issue In… Continue reading HQCJ member Luhanskyi received bonuses for a fake academic degree
Almost ten months have passed since the start of the qualification assessment. During this time, the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) reviewed 172 judges. For instance, the fourth panel of the HQCJ has finally recommended for the dismissal Hanna Andrienko, a judge of the Oktiabrskyi District Court of Poltava. The judge assisted drunk drivers… Continue reading Ten months of the qualification assessment: 43 judges of low integrity retained their positions, and 27 were recommended for dismissal
Almost 9 months have passed since the start of the qualification assessment. During this time, the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) reviewed 152 judges, 99 of them had negative opinions of the Public Integrity Council (PIC). The HQCJ continues to keep in office judges who do not meet the established integrity criteria – the… Continue reading Nine months of the qualification assessment: 42 judges of low integrity retained their positions, and only 26 were recommended for dismissal.
August 8, 2024 update: On August 8, the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) elected Oleksiy Omelyan, a judge of the Commercial Court of Zhytomyr Region, as deputy head. Omelyan previously served in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and worked as an assistant to a Supreme Court judge, as well as a disciplinary… Continue reading The High Qualification Commission of Judges elects a new head – Andriy Pasichnyk, but fails to elect a deputy head
On July 2, 2024, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court issued a ruling in favour of Judge Vitaliy Usatyi. This decision marked a sharp departure from the Court’s previous stance and jeopardised the qualification assessment process for 180 judges who have received negative opinions of the Public Integrity Council (PIC) for integrity issues but… Continue reading Judicial matrix: continue assessing the judges of low integrity or begin assessing the Supreme Court
According to information from Automaidan, although the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) underwent a complete reform in 2023, the Secretariat of the Commission has remained unchanged. This continuity has raised concerns about the overall quality and effectiveness of the Commission’s work. The most pressing issues revolve around the activities of the head of the… Continue reading Time to renew the Secretariat: how Olena Ponomarenko hinders the effective functioning of the HQCJ
On July 9, the notorious head of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK), Pavlo Vovk, finally appeared for an exam administered by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ). This exam precedes the interview stage of the qualification assessment introduced in 2016. Vovk, along with other judges from the DACK, had repeatedly avoided even… Continue reading Exam failed: the HQCJ did not pass the trial by Vovk
Yesterday, July 3, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court published a decision in the case of Vitaliy Usatyi, a judge from the Commercial Court of Kharkiv Oblast. He appealed the procedure of his qualification assessment in the Supreme Court. On June 13, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court declared his assessment invalid, thereby… Continue reading The Supreme Court struck down the assessments of 180 judges of low integrity, jeopardising the cleansing of the judiciary
Today, June 20, the High Qualification Commission of Judges was supposed to elect a new Head, but it didn’t happen. Neither Ruslan Sydorovych nor Andriy Pasichnyk, the candidates for the position, secured the required majority of votes. A total of 15 Commission members voted in two attempts. To be elected, a candidate needed to receive… Continue reading Not enough votes: The HQCJ was unable to elect the new Head in two attempts
Previously, we have reported on nearly a hundred “five-year judges” who managed to “successfully” pass the interview with a panel of the previous High Qualification Commission of Judges despite receiving a negative opinion of the Public Integrity Council. According to the law, the decision of the panel must be endorsed by the full composition of… Continue reading What will the HCJ decide regarding judges Otrosh, Klyuchnyk, Sharko, and Vasylieva?
While the public awaited the dismissal of Judge Inna Otrosh Jr., things did not go as expected. Although the issue was being considered, the High Council of Justice (HCJ) paused the proceedings. During the session, an expert opinion from the Council of Europe was revealed, suggesting that Otrosh should not undergo a plenary session at… Continue reading How Roman Babiy created a loophole to keep judges of low integrity in office
