Ranking of the 22 HACC Judge Candidates

The High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) has completed the dossier review and interview stage for the 22 candidates for judge positions at the High Anti-Corruption Court.

These lawyers are the ones who earlier cleared the rigorous filter of the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE). The Commission has now assigned the final scores that will determine the winners of the competition.

How the ranking was formed

In April and May, the HQCJ reviewed the candidates’ dossiers and held interviews, assessing their professional competence, integrity, and compliance with the criteria of professional ethics.

In total, a candidate could earn up to 800 points:

400 points for the exam, which comprised testing and a practical assignment, and

400 points for the dossier review and interview stage with the HQCJ.

The current ranking of all participants is as follows. 

 The HQCJ will next officially compile and approve this final ranking, under which some candidates will receive the Commission’s recommendation for appointment as HACC judges, and others as judges of the HACC Appeals Chamber.

The competition, however, will not end with the ranking, as the final word rests with the High Council of Justice. It may decline to submit to the President of Ukraine a recommendation for a candidate’s appointment, despite the completed competition, if doubts remain about the candidate’s integrity or professional ethics, or if other circumstances emerge that could undermine public trust in the judiciary following such an appointment.

For candidates who get the green light, the HCJ will submit a recommendation to the President for their appointment as judges.

What lies ahead

Increasing the number of HACC judges remains one of the key tasks for strengthening the court’s work. Among other things, it determines whether top corruption cases are heard within reasonable deadlines.

The results of the competition also create a practical challenge. Some of the sitting first-instance HACC judges will likely move to the Appeals Chamber. In particular, the high-scoring candidates include sitting HACC judges Kateryna Sikora, Natalia Movchan, and Olena Tanasevych.

If these judges are appointed to the Appeals Chamber, new vacancies will open at the first-instance HACC. That is precisely why, alongside strengthening the appellate level, the first-instance HACC must be ensured adequate capacity. Without this, the risk of drawn-out proceedings will only grow.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the cases pending before these first-instance HACC judges will become subject to a hearing from the start. This is an outdated happroach that does not account for the modern means of recording court proceedings.

A separate issue is the future of international experts’ involvement in the selection of HACC judges. The current competition is being held with the participation of the Public Council of International Experts, which has become one of the most important safeguards against the appointment of candidates lacking integrity. But unless parliament extends its mandate, it will be impossible to hold future competitions under the same transparent and high-quality procedure.