Ukrainian Justice Minister: 1,800 judges to be dismissed after judicial reform

1,800 Ukrainian judges will be dismissed after the constitutional amendments related to judiciary are passed. Competition will be announced for vacant positions.

Justice Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Petrenko said this during a roundtable meeting, LІGA.net Ukrainian news portal reports.

“Parliament should ‘set free’ 800 judges, who were appointed over past five years, including by Yanukovych. We need to open 800 vacancies for the posts of judges of local courts,” he said, adding that the working group that had been drafting the changes to the law on judiciary, took into account the initiative of the Justice Ministry for increase in the number of judges subject to dismissal.

“It is no longer 800, but 1,800 judges, who were appointed within a five year period. The essence of the legislative changes, which are offered now, lies in the fact that those judges cannot be appointed for long-term, and the competition will be held for vacant positions,” Petrenko said.

Thus, according to the Minister, after 1,800 judges are dismissed, the judicial system will be renewed by 30%.

President Poroshenko asked the Parliament to consider the constitutional amendments related to judiciary as early as this plenary week.