On April 24, 2025, an open Q&A session was held for potential candidates for judicial positions in the competition to the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) and the upcoming competition to the HACC as a court of first instance, organized by the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJU).
The event was attended by the Chairman of the Commission Andrii Pasichnyk, members of the Commission Oleh Koliush, Ruslan Melnyk and the Head of the HACC Vira Mykhailenko.
Opening the session, Vira Mykhailenko noted that strengthening the constitutional capacity of the HACC is an international obligation of Ukraine that must be fulfilled. She invited and expressed her hope that as many proactive, motivated, professional and honest lawyers as possible would take part in the competition.
The Chairman of the Commission, Andrii Pasichnyk, also stressed the importance of this competition in the context of judicial reform and Ukraine’s fulfilment of its international legal obligations.
Commission member Ruslan Melnyk analyzed the statistical results of the previous competition and outlined the reasons for candidates’ disqualification: mistakes in document submission, unconfirmed work experience, circumstances related to prior employment in certain bodies that disqualify participation, incorrect reporting period in the declarations of integrity and family ties, failure to confirm proficiency in the state language, etc.
Commission member Oleh Koliush presented information about the stages of the competition. He noted that the Commission is developing a concept to allow candidates to participate simultaneously in two competitions — for the HACC Appeals Chamber and for the HACC — as well as initiatives for legislative changes regarding the passing score for the examination. The corresponding draft law is already under consideration in Parliament. The HQCJU is also developing the concept of a unified ranking system and simultaneous testing for all candidates.
The session was conducted in a hybrid format: offline at the HACC premises in Kyiv, and online via the HQCJU’s YouTube channel. The event attracted a large audience interested in participating in future competitions. All registered participants were able to ask questions either live or in advance through an online form.
It should be recalled that on January 23, 2025, the Commission announced a competition for 10 vacant judicial positions in the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court. Applications for participation in the competition to HACC Appeals Chamber can be submitted from June 01 to June 30, 2025, inclusive. Additionally, during the year, the Commission plans to announce a competition for judges of the HACC as a court of first instance.
To watch the broadcast of the event, please follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTHPxfSM7L0 (in Ukrainian).
