Working meeting with the representatives of the European Union Anti-Corruption Mission, 27 January 2016
Mr. Sergii Koziakov, Commission Chairman held a working meeting with the representatives of the EU Headquarters Program Mission on fighting against corruption that was held on 27 January 2016.
The Mission included Mrs. Katja Lenzing, the Expert on Justice and Home Affairs, Mr. Theo Strijker, Coordinator for Combating Corruption and Counteraction to Legalization of Dirty Money (Service on Structural Reform Support), Mr. Clemens Mueller and Mr. Sergii Derkach, Strategic Anti-Corruption Advisers of the Advisory Mission of the European Union and Mrs. Mariia Stogova, Sectoral Manager for Combating Corruption of the Delegation of the EU to Ukraine.
Mr. Andrii Vasylenko, Member of the Qualification Chamber of the Commission, Mr. Andrii Boiko, Member of the High Council of Justice and other representatives of these two bodies have also participated in the meeting.
The event was organized to determine the goals and ways of cooperation with the European Union within the framework of a new Project that aims to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian authorities in the fight against judiciary corruption. The representatives of the Mission were intended to find out the circumstances as combating corruption in courts, existence of specialization of judges to review cases on financial crimes and internal control mechanisms within judiciary.
Mr. Sergii Koziakov told the EU Mission about the peculiarities of corruption in judiciary and elaborated on measures of its preventing and combating, which are used and planned in Ukraine. In particular, the Chairman of the Commission pointed out new procedures of the Commission, such as maintaining judicial dossier and evaluation of judges, aimed at identifying those judges who have a lifestyle inappropriate to their revenues. Separately, Mr. Koziakov acknowledged the role of the National School of Judges of Ukraine in preventing corruption by appropriate training of candidates to judicial positions during the special training and judges during raising of their qualification.
The participants have also discussed the matter of independence of judges, including the influencing subjects on judges and the ways out of it. The Chairman of the Commission emphasized the role of an independent and comprehensive survey among judges, which would have shown who actually affects them currently.
Mr. Andrii Vasylenko, Member of the Qualification Chamber of the Commission stressed the need for a comprehensive system of prevention and fighting against corruption at all stages of judicial career, which should include, inter alia, such preventive measures as compulsory declaration of transactions and interests by judges. Mr. Vasylenko noted the importance of cooperation with NGOs, but only those who are really determined to reform the judiciary and are not trying to exert the pressure on judges, pursuing their own interests.
Mr. Andrii Boiko, the Member of the High Council of Justice said that under the new legislation the burden of proof of property legitimacy origin falls on the judges, but it is perceived by some judges as a violation of the presumption of innocence. In order to clarify the peculiarities of this issue regulation in other states Mr. Boiko has expressed proposal to arrange an International Scientific Conference.
Mrs. Katja Lenzing, the Expert on Justice and Home Affairs, based on the meeting results, has outlined the directions for future cooperation under the new European Union Project, namely the development of educational anticorruption course for assistants of judges, involving Experts of Communication Strategy to work with Community Organizations, the introduction of a special course for judges on investigation of financial crimes, conducting of an overall survey among judges on existing threats and pressure of entities on judges.
