Examinations for 836 candidates to the Supreme Court and to the High Anti-Corruption Court started
On November 12, 2018, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine started qualification evaluation of 566 candidates participating in the second competition for the positions of judges of the Supreme Court and of 270 candidates applying for the positions of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court. Qualification evaluation consists of a two-tier examination and an interview.
On November 12, candidates who passed the admission procedure will take anonymous written tests which will last for 2.5 hours. On November 14, candidates who successfully passed the first part of the examination will take a case study during 5.5 hours. They will write a draft court decision in accordance with the specialization of the court.
As of 10:30 a.m. on November 12, 767 candidates were registered.
“Today is an important day for the future of the new Supreme Court, as in the course of the second competition we will complete the establishment of the highest judicial body which was launched in 2016. Based on the results of the qualification evaluation, we will select judges who will help to form new judicial practice in the country. It is also an important day for everyone who has exerted great efforts to establish a new court specializing in anti-corruption cases. Competition rates to both courts after admission procedure are high: seven people for one position”, said Mr. Sergii Koziakov, Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges.
As it was during the first competition to the Supreme Court, candidates to new courts are lawyers, academicians and judges of all instances. Mr. Sergii Koziakov also said that 62% of judges and 38% of participants with other experience are admitted to the examination, of who 17% are academicians and 14% are advocates. “May I recall that during the first competition to the Supreme Court, after the stage of background check, there were 70% of judges and 30% of participants with other experience, of which 10.4% were advocates, 12% of academicians and 7% of professionals in the field of law with mixed experience. That is, in the second competition there are more “non-judges”, although the stage of background check is still to be conducted”, he said.
Candidates will take anonymous written test in accordance with specialization. Distribution of applications for the competition to the cassation courts in the Supreme Court is as follows:
- Civil Cassation Court – 160 applications, which is 7 persons for a position;
- Criminal Cassation Court – 159 applications, which is 13 persons for a position;
- Commercial Cassation Court – 111 applications, which is 7 persons for a position;
- Administrative Cassation Court – 136 applications, which is 6 persons for a position.
At this stage there are 63% men (354 persons) and 37% women (212 persons) taking part in the competition to the Supreme Court.
Most candidates are 40-49 years old, which is 47%. Candidates aged 50-59 years constitute 29%, and those aged 30-39 years constitute 21% of professionals in the field of law. As to the regional aspect, the largest number of candidates is from the city of Kyiv – 136 persons, or 24%. Kharkiv region is in the second place – 47 candidates, or 8%, and Dnipropetrovsk region – 40 candidates, or 7%.
Within the competition to the High Anti-Corruption Court, the following candidates are admitted to anonymous written testing:
To the Appeals Chamber of the HAC – 89 candidates, which is 8 persons for a position;
To the first instance of the HAC – 181 candidates, which is 7 persons for a position.
“After admission, there is even distribution of judges and “non-judges” who apply for the position of a judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court. So, among the candidates, 50% are judges, 30% are advocates, 14% are academicians and 6% are professionals in the field of law with mixed experience. Among them there are 69 candidates and doctors of sciences, while for the position of a judge of the Supreme Court, 199 lawyers with a scientific rank take part in the competition”, said Mr. Sergii Koziakov, Chairman of the HQCJ.
Among candidates to the High Anti-Corruption Court at this stage, the highest number of candidates is from the youngest group – 30-39 years – 45%, 40-49 years – 30% and 22% of candidates aged 50-59 years. As to the regional aspect, the largest number of candidates is from Kyiv – 59 persons, or 22%. There are 22 persons (8%) from Dnipropetrovsk region and 20 persons (7%) from Kharkiv region.
As Mr. Sergii Koziakov noted, such a number of candidates with different professional experience is evidence that professionals in the field of law are ready for healthy competition on a public basis and they trust the Commission’s competition procedures.
According to Mr. Stanislav Shchotka, Deputy Chairman of the HQCJ, the maximum grade candidates may receive for anonymous written test is 90 points and their coded results will be made public on the test day. “The Commission will then identify the best candidates four times more than the number of vacancies, namely 312 persons to the Supreme Court and 156 persons to the High Anti-Corruption Court. On November 14 these candidates will take a case study, maximum grade for which is 120 points”, explained Mr. Stanislav Shchotka.
The following will assist the Commission in conducting qualification evaluation of candidates:
- in the course of the competition to the High Anti-Corruption Court – the Public Council of International Experts (PCIE) consisting of six judges and prosecutors from foreign states, the composition of which was approved by the HQCJ on November, 6;
- in the course of the competition to the Supreme Court, the Public Integrity Council (PIC) consisting of 20 Ukrainian civil society representatives, the new composition of which is currently being established.
The candidates who will receive passing grade are to have interviews with psychologists, members of the HQCJ. Candidates to the Supreme Court will have interviews with the members of the PIC, and candidates to the HAC will have interviews with the members of the PCIE.
International representatives from more than seven institutions and media observe the course of the examination. Moreover, every citizen can observe the course of the examination on HQCJ YouTube Channel.
It should be recalled that within the framework of judicial reform, new courts are being established in the country, namely: the Supreme Court, the High Anti-Corruption Court and the High Court on Intellectual Property. In 2017, based on the result of first public competition, a new Supreme Court was formed. It started functioning in December 2017. On August 2, 2018, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine announced the second competition for 78 positions of judges of the Supreme Court and 39 positions of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court and the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court. As of September 24, 2018, 1001 applications were received, out of which 659 applications to the Supreme Court and 342 to the High Anti-Corruption Court.
The winners will be determined in the first quarter of 2019.
