HACC 2.0: Competition Results That Will Determine Justice Quality for Years

The selection of 22 new HACC judges is a real strengthening of justice in high-profile corruption cases and proof that the competition did take place. Ukraine as a state has done everything possible to fulfill the key indicator of the Ukraine Facility Plan. However, does quantity equal quality in this case? 

Ukraine is approaching the implementation of the next step in its European integration commitments. According to the results of interviews conducted by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) and the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE), 22 potential judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) were identified, who, subject to successful completion of the next stages, will form part of the court.

Increasing the number of judges will speed up the consideration of cases of top corruption and reduce the workload on the current composition of the HACC.

Transparency International Ukraine has been monitoring this process since 2024. After the first selection attempt, when only two judges were appointed instead of 25, we analyzed the problems of the competition and promoted systemic changes for the new stage. It is clear today that these efforts were not in vain.

“However, does quantity equal quality in this case? We assessed the information about all 73 candidates to become a judge of the HACC or the HACC Appeals Chamber. We also kept notes of each interview. In our opinion, the determined number of candidates who moved to the next round (interviews with the High Council of Justice) somewhat resembles a compromise. In particular, among those who were admitted to the next stage, there are four candidates whose answers seemed to us extremely doubtful, so we are waiting for the published justifications for the decision of the PCIE and the HQCJ regarding each participant of the competition. Subsequently, this issue will be considered by the HCJ,” says Andrii Borovyk, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine.

The full list of candidates who continue to participate in the competition:

1. Natalia Doroshenko — Judge of the Rivne District Administrative Court
2. Vladyslav Kukhta — Head of the Chernihiv District Court of Chernihiv Oblast
3. Olena Tanasevych — HACC Judge
4. Mykola Rubashchenko — Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Law at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University
5. Marta-Maria Yatsynina — Senior Lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University
6. Oksana Hutsal — Judge of the Orikhivskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia Region
7. Viktor Antypenko — Judge of Rokytnianskyi District Court of Kyiv Oblast
8. Oleksandr Dudchenko — Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Procedure at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University
9. Yevhen Didenko — judge of the Pryazovskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
10. Iryna Teslenko — Judge of the Kreminskyi District Court of Luhansk Oblast
11. Vitalii Koriahin — Judge of the Terniv City Court
12. Lesia Skrekla — Associate Professor at Lviv University of Trade and Economics
13. Oleh Khamkhodera — army officer
14. Mykola Pika — attorney
15. Tetiana Troyan — Judge of the Sosnivskyi District Court of Cherkasy
16. Yuliia Retynska — Judge of the Zavodskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia
17. Ihor Chaikin — Judge of the Pokrovskyi District Court of Kryvyi Rih
18. Olha Pevna — Judge of the Troitskyi District Court of Luhansk Oblast, temporarily assigned to the Kyivskyi District Court of Kharkiv
19. Kateryna Sikora — HACC Judge
20. Natalia Movchan — HACC Judge
21. Inna Smal — Judge of Sosnytskyi District Court of Chernihiv Oblast
22. Denys Kovalenko — Judge of the Rubizhne City Court of Luhansk Oblast

Why is this important right now?

1. Fulfillment of international obligations. The selection of new judges is one of the commitments under the Ukraine Facility Plan. The result of 22 potential judges may indicate that Ukraine has actually fulfilled this clause, demonstrating the dynamics that our international partners and the European Commission expect.
2. Quality and transparency of the process. Ukraine has once again proved its ability to carry out complex personnel updates, and the participation of international experts has become an additional guarantee for the trust in the results achieved. The fruitful cooperation of the HQCJ and the PCIE is crucial in this case. We need international experts in selection procedures so that the high bar is not lowered by unlawful political influences. 
3. Institutional capacity: In the context of a full-scale war and the need to constantly strengthen public bodies, effective justice in corruption cases is an important safeguard against abuse. Subject to successful completion of the next stages of the competition, the new judges will strengthen the HACC as an institution and justify the trust granted to them by the PCIE.

We at Transparency International Ukraine believe that the competition was conducted at a sufficiently high level. The results of the HACC operation, which is constantly proving its independence, attract the attention of both Ukrainian society and international partners. Ukraine demonstrates that it continues to move along the path of reforms.