205 Applicants Submit Documents to Participate in New HACC Competition

On August 6, the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) closed the application period for the new competition to fill 23 vacant judge positions at the High Anti-Corruption Court.

A total of 205 applicants, including lawyers, sitting judges, and academics, submitted their documents, meaning that nearly 9 candidates are competing for each seat.  

These figures are nearly identical to those from the previous HACC competition, where 238 legal professionals applied for 25 vacancies, averaging 9.5 candidates per seat. However, recent improvements to the competition procedures may allow more candidates to reach the final evaluation stages. 

Following disappointing results in the previous HACC competition, where only 2 judges were selected for the first-instance court, the Parliament approved changes in June of this year, including:

• allowing candidates who participated in a competition within the past year to reapply
• removing the minimum threshold of 75% for passing the Ukrainian statehood knowledge test, which will now be determined by the HQCJ.

Notably, 88 of the 205 current applicants had previously participated in the HACC or appellate court competitions within the past year. Lifting the one-year reapplication ban significantly expanded the pool of candidates for the HACC.

We also hope that the HQCJ will take into account public calls for independent review of written assignments and transparent, criteria-based evaluation. 

The next stage will involve verification of submitted documents and admission to the “unified” qualification exam, which includes both testing and a practical task. It is also worth noting the importance of tailoring practical assignments to the level of the court the candidate is applying to.