Corruption is an evil that can only be overcome through joint efforts - President of the Supreme Court

The establishment of the High Anti-Corruption Court has been completed and there is no doubt as to the appropriateness of its creation and the effectiveness of its work. Today it is a full and integral part of the Ukrainian judicial system.

This was stated by the President of the Supreme Court Stanislav Kravchenko during the conference "4 Years of the HACC: Achievements and Challenges".

The head of the Supreme Court noted that amid the threat of our country losing its sovereignty and independence, there was hope that society and the state would change, start living in a new way and that anti-corruption agencies would have little or no work. Unfortunately, this did not happen and corruption remains in many areas of public life. At the same time, the HACC continues to exercise its powers effectively, so that even in these difficult times, the judicial system is able to meet this challenge.

Stanislav Kravchenko also reminded that in 2019, a separate judicial chamber was formed in the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, with its anti-corruption specialisation defined, thus completing the formation of the anti-corruption judicial vertical.

At the same time, the President of the Supreme Court drew attention to the fact that the HACC had jurisdiction over cases in which the pre-trial investigation is carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. At the same time, the Specialised Judicial Chamber of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court considers criminal proceedings on all corruption-related criminal offences under the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

This makes it possible to develop fundamentally new approaches to the development of case law. Given the volume of issues arising in this category of legal relations and the instability of legislation, including anti-corruption legislation, this process is quite lengthy, but work in this area continues and the interim results are generally positive.

Stanislav Kravchenko added that the Supreme Court reviews HACC decisions in new categories of cases, including special confiscation and asset forfeiture.

At the same time, the legislation does not provide for a cassation appeal against decisions in cases of administrative offences, including corruption. According to the Chief Justice, the resolution of this issue may have a positive impact on the development of uniform case law in this category of proceedings.

Summing up, the President of the Supreme Court stressed that despite all the challenges and difficulties, the most important task of all judges of Ukraine was to ensure that justice was administered in accordance with the highest standards, so that every court decision they made would be accepted as fair around the world.

Stanislav Kravchenko expressed his gratitude to the international partners, governments and peoples of the United States and the European Union for supporting Ukraine during this extremely difficult time for the country.