Representatives of the Bar in the HCJ resigned because of disagreement with unconstitutional status restrictions

Deputy Chair of the High Council of Justice Oleksiy Malovatskyi and Member of the High Council of Justice Pavlo Grechkivsky resigned from January 26, 2022.

The resignations were supported at a meeting of the HCJ on Thursday, January 20, 2022.

Thus, advocates elected to the HCJ by the Congress of Advocates in February 2019 fulfilled the recommendation of the BCU from August 2021 to resign due to the establishment of discriminatory requirements for HCJ Members during judicial reform and restriction of the independence of the status of advocates – representatives of the legal community.

In particular, the BCU drew attention to the lack of constitutional foundations for the formation of Ethics Council with the pre-emptive right to vote of international experts, as well as the restriction of the independence of HCJ members in their decision-making within the framework of their powers.

Recall that in August 2021, the Bar Council of Ukraine held an emergency meeting at which it discussed the state of implementation of law No. 1635-IX "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine regarding the Procedure for Election (Appointment) to the positions of Members of the High Council of Justice and the activities of disciplinary inspectors of the High Council of Justice" and law No. 1629-IX "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the Judiciary and Status of Judges" and some laws of Ukraine on resumption of work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine".

Having discussed the requirements established by law 1635-IX for HCJ members, the BCU recommended that HCJ members consider resigning due to the inability to independently carry out activities under the conditions of the amended legislation.

In October 2021, the Plenum of the Supreme Court appealed to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine regarding the verification of compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine (constitutionality) of the provisions of paragraph thirteen of paragraph 23-1 of Section III "Final and Transitional provisions" of the Law of Ukraine of December 21, 2016 No. 1798-VIII "On the High Council of Justice", paragraphs one (in terms of re-evaluation of judges-members of the High Council of Justice), the sixth and the eleventh paragraph 4 of Section II "Final and Transitional Provisions" of the Law of Ukraine of July 14, 2021 No. 1635-IX "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine regarding the Procedure for Election (Appointment) for the positions of Members of the High Council of Justice and the activities of disciplinary inspectors of the High Council of Justice.