Anticorruption court updates: 337 candidates applied

As of September 20, the High Qualification Commission registered 337 candidates for the High Anticorruption Court, among whom 236 candidates applied for positions of trial judges and 101 – to the Appeals Chamber.

However, the number of candidates will be reduced as the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) will assess candidates on compliance with qualification requirements set by the law and with formal requirements on submission of documents set by the HQCJ itself.

Attorneys and scientists constitute almost half of the candidates who applied.

There is a number of questionable candidates among judges who applied. One of them is former judge of the High Commercial Court of Ukraine Malvina Danylova, who had already taken part in the competition for the Supreme Court and received negative opinion of the Public Integrity Council. 

Danylova has significant experience of participation in consideration of odious issues of land allocation. In 2013, she, as part of the panel of judges, confirmed the legality of land allocation for house construction in security area of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, effectively ignoring UNESCO’s demand.

In 2016, judge Danylova, as part of the panel of judges, abolished the decision to return Bilychanskyi forest to the community of Kyiv, confirming the transfer of green zone to private developer who is allegedly related to former Member of Parliament Vasyl Khmelnytskyi.

Another candidate for the position of the judge of the Appellate Chamber of the High Anticorruption Court, is Ihor Shtulman, former judge of the High Administrative Court of Ukraine.In 2015-2016, Shtulman helped to avoid responsibility simultaneously for two judges who had made arbitrary decisions against members of the Revolution of Dignity. He, as part of the panel of judges, abolished the decision to suspend from office judge Tsarevych, who was suspected by the PGO in adoption of knowingly illegal decision, and also abolished the appeal of the High Council of Justice to dismiss judge Vasylyeva, who made illegal decisions against participants of the Revolution of Dignity.

Another negative opinion of the public has already received another candidate for the position of the Appellate Chamber Ivan Dyadechko, judge of Kryukivskyi District Court in Kremenchuk.This judge “forgot” to submit information in declarations about the boat for which he had unlimited power of attorney, as well as the car TOYOTA LandCruiser and apartment (104 square meters) which was acquired in marriage with his ex-wife.

The candidate for the position of the anticorruption judge of the first instance, Andriy Mikulin, former judge of Irpin Court, has experience of releasing corrupt officials from responsibility. In 2015, he, as part of the panel of judges, acquitted former rector of the National State Tax Service University of Ukraine Petro Melnyk, who was caught on receiving bribes in the amount of 40,000 UAH and 80,000 UAH. This decision was subsequently abolished by the court of appeal. Moreover, Mikulin’s father is former member of the HQCJ and ex-rector of the SBU Academy, and now he is the deputy head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration, who had surprisingly avoided lustration.

The next step in the competition will be examination of candidates’ documents by the High Qualification Commission of Judges and their admission to exams.

The AntAC’s experts conduct analysis of candidates who filed documents to the new High Anticorruption Court, and will monitor all subsequent stages of competition.