The Verkhovna Rada is planning to consider government draft law No. 11130 at one of its next meetings, which changes the procedure for considering cases in the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) and clarifies the composition of the court in cases against high-ranking officials, including MPs and ministers, UNN reports, citing the agenda of the Verkhovna Rada.
Details
As explained by in the relevant committee, if previously the case in the first instance was considered by a panel of three judges, now it will be heard by a single judge.
The draft law proposes:
- to exclude part 12 of Article 31 of the CPC, which defines the procedure for consideration of criminal proceedings by judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court;
- to amend Article 31 of the CPC to establish that criminal proceedings in the court of first instance shall be conducted by a collegial court consisting of three judges only at the request of the accused in respect of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 10 years, as well as crimes committed by the President of Ukraine whose powers have been terminated, a Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister, a member of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Prosecutor General, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, members of regulators, the AMCU, and the Head of the NBU.
As the government's representative in parliament, Taras Melnychuk, noted, the draft law is part of the Ukraine Facility Program Implementation Plan and "aims to improve legislation to fight corruption more effectively in terms of increasing efficiency and ensuring proper judicial review of criminal proceedings.