The return of Otrosh: the Grand Chamber rolls back the results of judicial reform
The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Inna Otrosh Jr., who challenged the results of her failed qualification assessment. The Supreme Court has reinstated as a judge a person who:
- After the start of Russia’s aggression, regularly travelled to the temporarily occupied Crimea and to St Petersburg for exhibitions and to visit “relatives”.
- During her interview, blamed the Ukrainian authorities for the occupation of Crimea.
- Began her judicial career under VIP conditions unavailable to other judges.
- Owns expensive property that cannot be explained by her official income.
More details are available here.
The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court is dismantling the achievements of judicial reform: judges from the Yanukovych era and open adherents of the “Russian world” are returning to their offices one after another. This decision opens the door to mass reinstatements of low-integrity judges whose circumstances mirror those of Otrosh. The Grand Chamber simply discarded the conclusions of the High Council of Justice, the High Qualification Commission of Judges, and its own prior practice. Such a step undermines the authority of the judiciary, destroys public trust in the courts, and crushes any hope for justice.
If we do not clean up the Supreme Court in the near future, judicial reform will fail — and EU integration will remain out of reach for Ukraine.
