In October 2018 – February 2019, the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) provided support to the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE) – a body that operates in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On High Anti-Corruption Court” and assists the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJ) in the assessment of integrity and professionalism of candidates for the positions of judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).
During its work in Ukraine, the Council’s members reviewed a total of 113 candidate profiles, including 81 candidates for the first instance of HACC and 32 candidates for the Appeal Chamber of the HACC. Integrity and professionalism of 49 of the candidates was considered at joint meetings with the HQCJ, with 39 barred from further progress in the competition. In addition, 3 candidates decided to step out of the competition.
Throughout its cooperation with the PCIE, EUACI assisted the Council in a variety of ways, including:
- legal assistance to PCIE members, including in gathering and analyzing information on HACC candidates;
- formation and contribution to business processes within the PCIE Secretariat;
- communication support, including development of a Communication Strategy, regular media monitoring, media recommendations, talking points and media event support;
- development of PCIE Rules of Procedure and candidate assessment criteria.
The PCIE is selected for two years and consists of six reputable international experts with experience in supporting state prosecution or judicial proceedings in cases related to corruption. The PCIE consists of: Aurelius Gutauskas (Lithuania), Fleming C. Denker (Denmark), Ted Zarzeczny (Canada), Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovski (Macedonia), Lorna Harris and Sir Anthony Hooper (UK).
The PCIE’s work received largely positive feedback from Ukrainian media and experts; hundreds of articles praised efficiency and transparency of PCIE’s work. The PCIE Members themselves saw the organization’s work as an unprecedented step in combating corruption. As Chairman of the PCIE Sir Anthony Hooper commented during a joint media briefing with the HQCJ:
“What we have done is simply extraordinary. Ukraine is the first country in the world to my knowledge to invite international experts to the appointment of judges. Ukraine should be hugely proud of what that legislation enabled us to do.”
As Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative Eka Tkeshelashvili commented:
“The creation of and work done by the PCIE is a significant milestone for the anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine. Thanks to the international component in the judge selection, the High Anti-Corruption Court will be more professional, more impartial and ultimately more effective in combating corruption.”
EUACI is committed to continuing support of implementation of anti-corruption policy in Ukraine, thereby ultimately contributing to a reduction in corruption.
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