None of the Supreme Court judges were brought to disciplinary responsibility last year - HCJ
Kyiv • UNN
In 2023, no judge of the Supreme Court was brought to disciplinary responsibility
No judge of the Supreme Court was brought to disciplinary responsibility in 2023 after the restoration of the High Council of Justice. This is stated in the HCJ's response to the request of UNN.
Details
"In 2023, the High Council of Justice considered 2 139 disciplinary complaints. In 2023, the Disciplinary Chambers of the High Council of Justice adopted 6 decisions to bring 6 local court judges to disciplinary responsibility. No decisions on disciplinary liability of Supreme Court judges were made during this period," the response to the request reads.
The authorized composition of the High Council of Justice was restored on January 12, 2023.
At the same time, the HCJ noted that last year it did not receive any complaints for reconsideration in accordance with the decisions of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court.
Earlier, Oleksiy Lyaskovets, a lawyer who is currently at the front, told UNN that legislative changes are needed to provide a clear list of grounds for reviewing decisions of the High Council of Justice by members of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, because now it is a one-way game. According to him, the High Council of Justice should make final decisions on the disciplinary responsibility of judges.
At the same time, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, at the request of UNN, reported that 88 judges have been caught committing corruption crimes since the SAPO's inception, including judges who held positions in the courts of first instance, appeal, and the Supreme Court, including 16 judges in 2023.
"The overwhelming majority of judges have been found to have received illegal benefits, abused influence, etc.", the agency added.
In total, 75 criminal proceedings against judges were sent to court with indictments, including 9 indictments in 2023. The HACC convicted 32 judges of first instance and appellate courts (8 in 2023).
Recall
Earlier, Volodymyr Vatras, chairman of the subcommittee on the organization and activities of the Bar and legal aid bodies of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy, said in a commentary to UNN that the Supreme Court should be cleared of judges who have compromised themselves. However, the reform needs to be approached in a balanced manner, and the relevant parliamentary committee is working on it.
Kateryna Butko, head of the public council at the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), also believes that the Supreme Court needs to be reformed and cleared of dishonest judges, so that cases such as that of ex-MP and FSB agent accused of a series of contract killings and high treason, Oleksandr Shepelev, will be considered transparently and efficiently.
Lawyer, executive director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union Oleksandr Pavlichenko told UNN that the High Council of Justice is tasked with forming an independent judicial system in Ukraine without political influence.
