On March 20, 2026, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine and the Public Council of International Experts announced the results of special joint sessions regarding the compliance of candidates for the positions of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court with the criteria set out in law.
Please be reminded that on June 03, 2025, a competition was announced for 23 positions of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court and its Appeals Chamber, for which 205 people applied.
Based on the results of the completion of exam, 73 candidates were admitted by the Commission to the second stage of the qualification assessment.
At the initiative of the Public Council of International Experts, the issue of whether all 73 candidates who remained in the competition met the criteria of integrity (morality, honesty, and incorruptibility) as defined by law was referred for consideration at a special joint session of the Commission and the Public Council of International Experts. Under these conditions, the decision on a candidate’s compliance with these criteria was taken by a majority of the joint composition of the Commission and the Public Council of International Experts, provided that at least half of the members of the Public Council of International Experts voted in favour.
Special joint sessions were held from February 16 to March 17, 2026 and were broadcast live. 69 candidates took part in these sessions; 7 withdrew from the competition of their own accord.
Following the joint vote by members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine and the Public Council of International Experts, 22 candidates for the position of judge continued participation in the competition for positions at the High Anti-Corruption Court, having confirmed their compliance with the criteria set out in law:
- Viktor Antypenko;
- Oksana Hutsal;
- Yevhen Didenko;
- Nataliia Doroshenko;
- Oleksandr Dudchenko;
- Denys Kovalenko;
- Vitalii Koriahin;
- Vladyslav Kukhta;
- Natalia Movchan;
- Olha Pevna;
- Mykola Pika;
- Yuliia Retynska;
- Mykola Rubashchenko;
- Kateryna Sikora;
- Lesia Skreklia;
- Inna Smal;
- Olena Tanasevych;
- Iryna Teslenko;
- Tetiana Troian;
- Oleh Khamkhodera;
- Ihor Chaikin;
- Marta-Mariia Yatsynina.
Conducting a competition for the High Anti-Corruption Court is one of the priority tasks of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine and is of particular importance given the court’s specific jurisdiction over proceedings relating to criminal offences of corruption.
That is precisely why candidates’ unconditional compliance with integrity criteria is a key and uncompromising standard in their assessment, where the quality of results takes absolute precedence over quantitative indicators.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of case handling by the High Anti-Corruption Court and the filling of judicial positions in this court is one of the strategic outcomes of Ukraine’s international legal obligations and the reform package within the negotiation process regarding Ukraine’s membership of the European Union, as provided for in the Ukraine Facility Plan and the Rule of Law Roadmap.
To fulfill this indicator, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine has already submitted two recommendations for the appointment of judges to this court, which have been endorsed by the High Council of Justice and the President of Ukraine, and has also taken the necessary measures to fill other vacant positions in the court and to properly implement the relevant steps under international obligations.