Zelenskyy signed a law to strengthen oversight of judicial integrity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law that improves the mechanism for submitting and verifying judges’ declarations of integrity and family ties.
The document provides for a more formalized and rigorous system for monitoring judges’ integrity and establishes real consequences for submitting false information.
From now on, judges are required to:
- submit a declaration via the High Council of Justice website by May 1 of each year
- declare not only their own information but also information about relatives who work or have worked in the judicial, law enforcement, political, or government systems
- confirm a series of statements regarding their integrity
In the declaration, the judge confirms that:
- has not committed any corruption offenses
- has not visited Russia or the occupied territories
- has not attempted to obtain citizenship of another country
- has adhered to the Code of Judicial Ethics
- used the Ukrainian language while administering justice
- has not cooperated with the aggressor state since February 20, 2014
- recognizes Ukraine’s sovereignty over its entire territory
Relatives subject to disclosure include:
- spouses and close relatives
- persons who live together and share a household
- relatives on the spouse’s side
- persons associated with the government, political, law enforcement, or judicial sectors
The verification will be conducted by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ).
Key provisions:
- Any complaint (except anonymous ones) may serve as grounds for a review
- The review must last up to 6 months
- A decision must be made within 1 month of receiving the information
- The information is presumed to be true unless proven otherwise
If false information is found, the materials are forwarded to the disciplinary body; disciplinary action may be taken, the information is included in the judge’s file, and it affects competitions and evaluations of judges.
The law also extends these requirements to judicial candidates, clarifies the rules for determining judicial compensation, and establishes the use of the subsistence minimum as the basis for salaries.
In effect, the document strengthens the tools for monitoring judicial integrity, expands the scope of disclosure requirements, and introduces stricter procedural consequences for violations or the submission of false information.
This is reported in the document’s summary on the parliament’s website.
Earlier, an electronic petition was officially registered in Ukraine addressed to the Cabinet of Ministers, proposing a fundamental change to the current approaches to financing the judicial system and the introduction of financial incentives for judges based on KPIs.
In the Poltava region, judges threatened reprisals following a decision to arrest a defendant.
The High Council of Justice dismissed six judges.
