The High Qualification Commission of Judges on Oct. 23 scheduled key written examinations for candidates for the anti-corruption court, while dragging its feet on setting up the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE), potentially delaying or undermining the court’s creation.
The commission scheduled theoretical legal knowledge tests for Nov. 12 and practical examinations for Nov. 14. The tests will be held for candidates for both the 39 High Anti-Corruption Court jobs and the 78 extra jobs being filled at the Supreme Court in addition to the 120 hires that have already been made.
The commission also said that interviews with candidates for the anti-corruption court would be held in December to January, while interviews with Supreme Court candidates would be held in the fourth quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019.
Meanwhile, the High Qualification Commission has delayed the appointment of the six-member Public Council of International Experts, a body of foreigners intended to help set up anti-corruption court, although 12 candidates for the PCIE were already nominated in mid-September.
The court’s creation will be impossible if the PCIE’s creation is derailed, since its participation is obligatory under the law.
The High Qualification Commission interviewed the PCIE candidates on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19. The commission also said on Oct. 18 that it was planning to appoint the PCIE by the end of October.
Another problem is that it is not clear whether the High Qualification Commission will allow the PCIE to access candidates’ personal data, Vitaly Tytych, the coordinator of the Public Integrity Council – the judiciary’s civil society watchdog – told the Kyiv Post. If the PCIE doesn’t get access to personal data, its work will be blocked, he added.
Tytych also argued that the PCIE has a right under the law to assess the results of candidates’ practical examinations.
Moreover, Ukrainian law stipulates that the results of candidates’ practical examinations and psychological tests must be published, he argued, adding that the High Qualification Commission’s efforts to make them secret are illegal. The commission denied the accusations.
Tytych said that the PCIE must not only veto the worst candidates but also select the best ones, i.e. assume positive selection powers.
The competition for the High Anti-Corruption Court was launched in August.
As of now, 342 candidates have applied for the High Anti-Corruption Court, and 659 candidates have applied for the Supreme Court.
