On 29 May, the HQCJ decided that applications for the competition to the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court will not be accepted in June 2025.
According to the Commission, this decision is because the law amending the competition procedure has not yet been signed by the President and has not entered into force. As a reminder, MPs recently supported propositions to Draft Law No. 12331-2, which slightly broadened the pool of potential candidates and simplified the procedure.
Back in January, when the HQCJ announced the competition, Transparency International Ukraine noted that this step was premature. In particular, we emphasized that the competition announcement should have been preceded by a thorough review and resolution of the problems from the previous selection process. Otherwise, this could once again lead to disappointing results.
We analyzed the competition process and pointed out the need for legal amendments to improve its changes, which require time. Due to the lengthy parliamentary procedures, the HQCJ has already had to postpone the start of the application period for candidates.
We hope the HQCJ will use the time before the law enters into force and the new competition begins to improve the procedure, as the wait should not stand in the way of progress.
Given the experience of the previous competition, we expect that before launching the new one, the Commission will:
- Approve and publish a clear competition timeline.
- Properly test and validate all qualification exam tasks.
- Establish threshold scores for cognitive ability and statehood history tests based on clear and publicly disclosed criteria.
- Arrange transparent, criteria-based evaluation of candidates’ practical assignments.
We also hope that the HQCJ will communicate its decisions regarding the HACC competition in a timely and proactive manner.
According to the Commission, this decision is because the law amending the competition procedure has not yet been signed by the President and has not entered into force.
