President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted to the parliament a draft law that seeks to strip the most notorious court in the country, Kyiv District Administrative Court, of some of its powers.
The court is known for its controversial and harmful rulings that often sabotage reforms.
By its nature, it has the power to cancel decisions and appointments made by all central authorities.
Now, Zelensky suggests transferring those powers from Kyiv District Administrative Court to the Supreme Court.
Zelensky has often been criticized for not taking action on the court.
The Kyiv District Administrative Court became infamous for interfering in the work of government bodies, obstructing reforms, disrupting competitions for state jobs and helping corrupt officials and oligarchs escape punishment.
Read more: Kyiv court epitomizes corruption & impunity
In April 2019, the court ruled that the nationalization of PrivatBank, formerly owned by oligarchs Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennady Bogolubov, was illegal. The state took the bank from the oligarchs when it was in a critical condition and discovered that some $5.5 billion were stolen from the bank. The oligarchs deny the wrongdoing and sue to get the bank back.
The appeal on the court’s ruling canceling the nationalization is still ongoing.
In February 2019, the court dealt a blow to healthcare reform by banning then-Health Minister Ulana Suprun from fulfilling her duties due to her U.S. citizenship. Anti-corruption activists argued that the court was thus trying to block Suprun’s healthcare reform and help corrupt interests in the healthcare industry. Amid the backlash by civil society, the court canceled its own decision on Suprun the same month.
The court’s head Pavlo Vovk faces charges of organized crime, abuse of power, bribery and unlawful interference with government officials. Vovk denies the accusations. He has been ignoring hearings in his case, stalling the investigation.
Zelensky’s long-anticipated effort to restrain the notorious court took place on the same day when the International Monetary Fund mission concluded that Ukraine has to show more progress in conducting reforms before it can get any more lending from the fund.
Along with a draft law concerning the Kyiv District Administrative Court, Zelensky has filed to Verkhovna Rada two draft bills that seek to improve the judicial system.
In one of those bills, Zelensky suggests introducing a mandatory integrity check of current and future members of the High Council of Justice, a body that nominates judges to be appointed by the president. Zelensky proposes to launch a separate unit within the council, a secretariat called the Service of Disciplinary Inspectors, that would vet the candidates’ integrity.
The third bill amends the Code of Administrative Offenses. Zelensky suggests introducing administrative liability for failure to provide information at the request of the disciplinary inspector of the High Council of Justice.
