Recent statements and conclusions appearing in the media in connection with the activities of the Temporary Investigative Commission of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine once again demonstrate an attempt to exert political and informational influence on the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJ) – a key body on which the filling of the judiciary with professional and honest personnel directly depends.
The HQCJ has made every effort to build trust in competitive procedures, as trust is the only guarantee of our ability to find and recommend the best representatives of the legal community for judicial positions. Manipulative attempts to destroy it undermine the capacity of the entire judicial branch of government.
The HQCJ is helding interviews with candidates for the courts of appeal (for example, recommendations have already been made for the appointment of judges to the Sumy Court of Appeal, where only 4 judges remained), has launched a competition for newly established specialised administrative courts, is helding interviews with candidates for 23 vacant positions in the High Anti-Corruption Court, and is completing the qualification exam in the largest selection process in the history of Ukraine for courts of first instance.
Commission has fulfilled our obligations in a timely manner to conduct qualification assessments for suitability for the position and to fill vacant judicial positions, which will ensure that the country receives €388 million in funding under the Ukraine Facility plan.
Particularly alarming is the publication of value judgments and false information presented as fact, as well as the coordinated and resource-intensive information campaign against the High Council of Justice. Such actions can be perceived as personal persecution and attempts at discrediting.
Pressure on the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine is not just a blow to an independent body. It is a blow to the independence of courts, bodies, and institutions of the justice system. The HQCJ works openly and within the law, in close cooperation with international partners.
Commission would like to emphasise that pressure on the Public Integrity Council, an institution created specifically to ensure openness and public trust in the courts, is unacceptable. Any attempts to question the work of independent representatives of civil society are attempts to destroy the balance of trust that has been built up over many years.
The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine will continue its work in a lawful, professional, and transparent manner.
The path to judicial reform is not easy, but the independence of the judiciary is not a bargaining chip or a political option.