Anti-Corruption Action Center and Transparency International Ukraine urge the political leaders of the parliamentary coalition Petro Poroshenko and Arsenii Yatseniuk to fix the notorious appeal provision in the law on the anti-corruption court and to vote for the necessary amendments in the Criminal Procedural Code this week.
We support the intention of Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andrii Parubii to consider draft law 7441 on Thursday, July 12. To do it, on Wednesday, July 11, the Committee on Legal Policy and Justice, headed by MP of Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc Ruslan Kniazevych, must review the amendments to the draft law 7441. This draft law is technical, uncomplicated and cannot require a long discussion.
18 out of 32 MPs in the Committee on Legal Policy and Justice represent Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc, including Head of the Committee, or People’s Front. This number of MPs is sufficient to ensure quorum of the committee and approve the decision on draft law 7441, which cannot otherwise be voted in the parliament.
As a reminder, by September, Ukraine must resolve all issues to receive a new tranche of macrofinancial assistance from the International Monetary Fund, or else its collaboration with the IMF may terminate completely. The National Bank of Ukraine has also warned that unless collaboration with the IMF continues, it will be impossible to unblock aid from the EU and the World Bank or to place eurobonds.
Taking into account the above-mentioned, we urge:
- To ensure the quorum of MPs and review of draft law 7441 at the meeting of Committee on Legal Policy and Justice on Wednesday, July 11
- To review and approve draft law 7441 with amendments on appeals of the current NABU cases on Thursday, July 12
As a reminder, the approved law on the High Anti-Corruption Court includes the provision according to which appeals on NABU cases currently reviewed in courts will take place in general jurisdiction courts as opposed to the newly created Anti-Corruption Court.
