Ukraine: Anti-Corruption Drive Targets Court System

News

Ukraine’s Constitutional Court approved amendments stripping lawmakers’ power to appoint judges, making judges liable for prosecution and introducing stricter criteria on who can become a judge, reported Reuters.

Related Articles

Calls for Anti-Corruption in Ukraine’s Post-War Rebuild
As Ukraine looks toward recovery from the ongoing conflict, international partners and reform advocates call for embedding anti-corruption measures in post-war restoration efforts.
Mining Crimes Pose a Challenge for Law Enforcement, Experts Say
A recent report found that only one in three of environmental crime cases in the Amazon produced a parallel financial crime investigation from authorities.
Kyrgyz Elite Targeted as Japarov Allies Gain Key Assets
After the killing of crime boss Kamchy Kolbaev, Kyrgyz authorities have intensified their crackdown on prominent business figures suspected of financing organized crime. But is it justice—or something else?
Calls for Anti-Corruption in Ukraine’s Post-War Rebuild
As Ukraine looks toward recovery from the ongoing conflict, international partners and reform advocates call for embedding anti-corruption measures in post-war restoration efforts.
Mining Crimes Pose a Challenge for Law Enforcement, Experts Say
A recent report found that only one in three of environmental crime cases in the Amazon produced a parallel financial crime investigation from authorities.
Kyrgyz Elite Targeted as Japarov Allies Gain Key Assets
After the killing of crime boss Kamchy Kolbaev, Kyrgyz authorities have intensified their crackdown on prominent business figures suspected of financing organized crime. But is it justice—or something else?
January 25th, 2016
Justice System Voting and Elections

The move is part of the government’s anti-corruption drive aiming to purge bribery and other forms of corruption from the country’s judicial system.

The Ukrainian government is attempting to secure support from its international allies, the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Both institutions have urged the government to crack down on corruption and bribery.

However, the proposed reforms will require a two-thirds vote in Parliament to become law and it is unclear if the reforms will pass as Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's coalition has just a slim majority, according to Reuters.

"It is a political process ... and a matter of political consensus," Oleksy Filatov, President Petro Poroshenko's representative at the constitutional court, told reporters Friday.

"I hope it does not take much time, because without these changes, fundamental changes in the justice system demanded by society are impossible."

Late last year, Ukrainian lawyer Markiyan Halabala told Ukrainian TV Show Viewpoint that of “300 corrupt judges in Ukraine, only 5 were under investigation.”

Halabala represents the families of 39 activists who were killed during the Euromaidan revolution, many of whom are dissatisfied with the progress of the investigations, according to an interview with Halabala on Ukraine Today.

Ukrainians lack faith in the country’s judicial system, according to a poll by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation. Only 9 percent express trust in the justice system with 81 percent distrusting the courts and believing judges are receptive to bribes and political pressure.

Related Reporting