Today, March 28, 2023, the High Council of Justice approved the Methodology for conducting interviews, selection and appointment of candidates for the position of a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.
The Methodology determines the organizational bases, principles, criteria and procedure for conducting interviews, selection and appointment of candidates for the position of a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine by the High Council of Justice. The Methodology will be applied subject to the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Council.
The HCJ applies the principle of positive selection.
The selection and appointment to the position of a member of the HQCJU will be carried out according to the criteria of integrity, professional competence and political neutrality.
In accordance with the Methodology, a candidate for the position of a member of the HQCJU shall be deemed to meet the integrity criterion if he/she is independent, honest, impartial, incorruptible, conscientious, adheres to ethical standards and demonstrates impeccable behaviour in professional activities and private life, and also if there are no doubts regarding the legality of his/her assets origin, the conformity of the standard of living of the candidate or his/her status or members of his/her family with the declared income, the conformity candidate’s life style to his/her status.
A candidate for the position of a member of the HQCJU shall be deemed to meet the criterion of professional competence if he/she has knowledge in the field of law, including on the functioning of the judicial system, has analytical abilities, is able to work persistently, has oral and written communication skills, as well as the ability to interact with colleagues.
A candidate for the position of a member of the HQCJU meets the criterion of political neutrality, if he/she does not belong to political parties, does not participate in any political activity, does not have relationships that may cast doubt on his/her independence from political figures.
Each concept in the Methodology is given a definition.
Additional criteria will also be taken into account – positive personal (individual) qualities and value orientations of the candidate.
To select a candidate for appointment as a member of the HQCJU, the Council will apply the following techniques and methods:
· analysis of information from candidates' dossiers, as well as materials received additionally in accordance with the rules defined by this Methodology;
· questions and answers during the interview;
· observation and analysis of the candidate's behaviour during the interviews (with the Selection Commission and the HCJ);
· discussion.
The selection of a candidate for appointment to the position of a member of the HQCJU shall be carried out by members of the HCJ based on their own conviction and analysis of information received from the dossier and during the interview by comparing all candidates who participated in the interviews, taking into account the requirements of parts three and four of Article 92 of the Law of Ukraine “On Judiciary and the Status of Judges”.