In 2023, the HCJ received 185 reports on interference with the professional activities of judges in the administration of justice, on actions that violate the guarantees of judicial independence or undermine the authority of justice. Taking into account the reports received in previous periods, during 2023 the HCJ considered 208 reports of judges.
By results of consideration of 97 reports on interference with the activities of judges in the administration of justice, 93 decisions were made to take response measures. Having considered 111 reports of judges, the HCJ took 61 decisions to approve 97 opinions of the HCJ members on the absence of grounds for taking measures to ensure the independence of judges and the authority of justice.
HCJ dismissed two judges for committing a significant disciplinary misdemeanour
The HCJ decided to dismiss judge of the Synelnykivskyi local-district court of Dnipropetrovsk region Yurii Hrechko and judge of the Dzerzhynskyi district court of the city of Kharkiv Iryna Hryshchenko under paragraph 3 of part 6 of Article 126 of the Constitution of Ukraine.
The Law of Ukraine dated November 21, 2023 No. 3481-IX, which entered into force on December 27, 2023, determines that a judge of the High Specialized Court of Ukraine for Civil and Criminal Cases, the High Economic Court of Ukraine, the High Administrative Court of Ukraine may be transferred to the court of appeal or a local court corresponding to the specialization of such a judge, in the manner provided for in Articles 53 and 82 of this law, without competition and subject to certain peculiarities provided for in this paragraph.
Judges shall submit an application for transferring specified in paragraph one of this clause to the HCJ within 30 days from the date of entry into force of the law.
Transferring of such a judge is carried out by the HCJ on the basis of his/her personal application within 30 days from the date of its receipt, regardless of whether there is a vacant position of a judge in the relevant court.
Currently, the HCJ continues to accept such applications from judges.
Three judges were resigned
The HCJ decided to dismiss three judges due to submission of application for resignation, in particular:
Didyk Mykola Volodymyrovych – from the office of judge of the Holosiivskyi district court of Kyiv;
Oliinyk Mykola Fedorovych – from the office of judge of the Khrystynivskyi district court of Cherkassy region;
Pasko Mykola Vasylovych – from the office of judge of the Economic court of Kyiv.
During 2023, the HCJ took 15 decisions on giving consent to take a judge into custody
During 2023 the HCJ took:
- 15 decisions to give consent for taking a judge into custody;
- 17 decisions to satisfy petitions of the Prosecutor General`s Office on temporary suspension and extension of the term of temporary suspension of a judge from the administration of justice until the court sentence enters into force or the criminal proceedings are closed;
- 11 decisions to partially satisfy the said petitions.
HCJ terminated retirement of two judges due to acquisition of foreign citizenship
The HCJ came to the conclusion that retired judges of the Melitopolskyi local-district court of Zaporizhzhia region Tamara Mishchenko and Nataliia Kupavska, who retain the title of judges, acquired russian citizenship (of a terrorist state), and holding the relevant judicial positions of an illegitimate court violated the requirements of the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, thereby undermining the authority of justice, public trust in the judiciary.