On June 21, 2023, the Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine Roman Ihnatov, his Deputy Ruslan Sydorovych, and the Head of the Commission’s Secretariat Olena Ponomarenko met with candidates who were not appointed to the positions of local court judges by the Decree of the President.
This refers to persons who meet the requirements of the third paragraph of clause 13 of Section III “Final and Transitional Provisions” of the Law of Ukraine “On the High Council of Justice” (competition for 35 vacant positions of local court judges for candidates for the position of a judge), as well as persons who meet the requirements of the seventh paragraph of clause 13 of Section III “Final and Transitional Provisions” of the Law of Ukraine “On the High Council of Justice” (competition for 7 vacant positions of judges of local general courts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions for candidates for the position of a judge).
Candidates from the previous HQCJ selections passed all the procedures, but since 2016, they have not been appointed as judges. In 2017, the legislation was amended, and such candidates were given another chance to become judges. However, for various reasons, the procedure was not completed, and those wishing to take up the position of a judge became hostages to the processes taking place in the state.
According to the Chairman of the Commission Roman Ihnatov, the situation with this category of judicial candidates is shocking. Today, the HQCJ is facing certain difficulties both in terms of staffing and financial resources. Therefore, it is difficult to predict when the problem of the candidates will be resolved. The Commission also expects changes in the legislation that will regulate certain issues of the state body’s activities.