MPs are urged to pass bill introducing competition for position of Prosecutor General

About a hundred protesters were picketing the Verkhovna Rada urging the MPs to pass the bill which would introduce a competition for the position of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine with the participation of the public.

This is reported by the Human Rights Information Centre correspondent.

Chair of the Public Lustration Committee council Oleksandra Drik says that the MPs are urged to withdraw the bill No. 2098 and to pass already elaborated alternative document.

“It provides for the establishment of the competition commission, involving the representatives of the public, which will choose an independent Prosecutor General. The list of the candidates chosen by the commission will be submitted to the President for him to appoint the Prosecutor General with the approval of the Verkhovna Rada. The Constitution stipulates that the President shall appoint the Prosecutor General with the approval of the Verkhovna Rada. The bill introduces an additional competition for this appointment,” Oleksandra Drik explains.

According to her, the biggest criticism of the alternative bill is that it allegedly requires changes in the appointment procedure, which is set forth in the Constitution. However, Oleksandra Drik insists that it is not true.  

“We are not going to change the procedure. We simply introduce a competition element. The Constitution does not prohibit this, and this should not be stipulated in the Constitution. The laws are enough…” she says.

Earlier, Acting Prosecutor General Yuri Sevruk said in an interview with Ukrainian News portal that he opposed the appointment of the Prosecutor General through an open competition.

“I followed the competition for the position of the Anti-Corruption Bureau director, participated in the competition of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and I can say that, unfortunately, the best decision is not always made at the final stage. The social pressure is so strong that the candidacy with fewest drawbacks is sometimes chosen, i.e. not the best but a mediocre candidacy. Is it right or wrong? In my opinion, the best one should be chosen. Unfortunately, the public pressure influences the commission’s decision and any of its decisions is made under pressure,” Yuri Sevruk said.

“If the Prosecutor General’s Office “gets rattled” and says that the public pressure is so strong that it cannot appoint its own people, we do everything right,” Oleksandra Drik comments on the words of the Acting Prosecutor General.

During the rally, the activists pointed out that an independent Prosecutor General is a requirement of the whole Ukrainian society as it is he who should ensure the efficient operation of the law enforcement system and carry out the tasks that were set during the Revolution of Dignity.

As reported, families of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the public offered the candidacy of Serhiy Horbatiuk for the position of the Prosecutor General.