Rock musician and public figure Svyatoslav Vakarchuk has called for attracting foreign judges to Ukraine, primarily to the management of economic affairs.
Vakarchuk in his article for the Kyiv-based online edition of Ukrayinska Pravda published on Friday said the law in Ukraine has become a “cynical concept” that “people no longer take seriously.” He said officials, top politicians and oligarchs have learned to circumvent it in their own interests, whereas the ordinary Ukrainians cannot achieve justice.
“This situation is not merely painful, it is dangerous for the country. If we as a state want to survive and become healthy, there is only one way out – real changes. Justice should become the basic principle,” Vakarchuk said.
He said reform of the judicial system is the most important reform that can bring Ukraine more justice.
Vakarchuk in his op-ed offers three specific steps, which should be done as soon as possible. First, it is necessary to carry out a full renovation of the judiciary, and the selection of judges “to entrust those who are more trusted by the society” – international experts, volunteers and social activists.
Secondly, according to Vakarchuk, it is necessary to achieve the trust of Ukrainian and foreign business to the Ukrainian courts, because “without this, there will be no investments, no cheap loans, no innovations.”
“That’s why we should seriously consider attracting authoritative foreign judges to conduct business in Ukraine, first of all, economic matters, especially appeals and cassations,” he said.
Thirdly, he said it is necessary to create conditions under which judges will be afraid to engage in corruption.
“First, to update the composition of the court of cassation, it should receive full public confidence. If some first-instance judge will have a large number of cases returned after the cassation, this should be the basis for considering his/her actions by Ukraine’s High Qualification Commission of Judges. If the review shows bias or the illegality of the judge’s actions, the judge should immediately be dismissed.
