A working meeting was held in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with the participation of the ambassadors of the G7 countries on the state of the judicial reform in Ukraine, the press service of the head of state said.
“The meeting was opened by head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, who noted that the implementation of judicial reform is a priority for President Zelensky and his team,” the message reads.
Yermak believes that such meetings – both with the participation of the ambassadors of the G7 countries and at the technical level – should become regular.
He also noted that Zelenskyy is very interested in the judicial reform proceeding at the same pace as other transformations in the country.
As reported, Yermak thanked the international partners and the Council of Judges of Ukraine for nominating candidates to the competition commission for the selection of members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ). He hopes that this body will begin to work soon.
Deputy head of the President’s Office Andriy Smyrnov noted that the judicial reform, which is one of the most difficult in the country, has moved forward.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement, Head of the Commission on Legal Reform under the President Serhiy Ionushas noted that the list of candidates for the Ethics Council included well-known retired foreign judges and prosecutors who have an impeccable business reputation and professional experience. At the same time, the pace of selection of candidates does not meet the expectations of society and the proposals of the head of state and parliament.
Ionushas informed the meeting participants about the appeal of chairman of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio, with an appeal to refrain from any actions that delay the selection of candidates and may harm the creation of an independent judicial system in Ukraine.
According to Ionushas, if the judicial self-government is unable to elect its candidates for a long time, the Verkhovna Rada will be forced to respond to this challenge.
Chairman of the parliamentary committee on legal policy Andriy Kostin urged not to spread myths about judicial reform.
“The Verkhovna Rada announced a competition for two vacant positions in the High Council of Justice (HCJ), submitted documents from 25 candidates, among which almost half are acting judges and retired judges who are not afraid of being checked by the Ethics Council,” the MP said.
Also, in his opinion, the verification of new candidates for the High Council of Justice and current members of the HCJ can be carried out in parallel by the Ethics Council, which has the appropriate autonomy.
British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons believes that the process of judicial reform should be accelerated, as its current pace is not conducive to the implementation of the necessary changes.
