President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commends the current composition of the Ethics Council, which is designed to establish compliance of the candidate for the position of a member of the High Council of Justice with the criteria of professional ethics and integrity.
The members of the Ethics Council are: Judge of the Supreme Court of the Court of Cassation Lev Kyshakevych, Judge of the Kyiv Court of Appeal Yuriy Tryasun, retired Judge of the Eastern Commercial Court of Appeal Volodymyr Siverin, retired Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge Robert Cordy, retired Judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales Sir Anthony Hooper and former Prosecutor General of the Republic of Estonia Lavly Perling.
"I hope that the Ethics Council will start its work as soon as possible. Despite considerable resistance, we managed to begin the most important stage of the changes I initiated in the judiciary. The formation of the virtuous High Council of Justice and High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine will help restore Ukrainians' trust in the judiciary and ensure further cleansing of the system," the President said.
On November 2, the High Council of Justice received a list of candidates for the Ethics Council recommended by the Council of Judges of Ukraine. International and foreign organizations have identified a list of international experts already on September 10, 2021.
According to the Law of Ukraine "On the High Council of Justice", if the Chairman of the High Council of Justice does not appoint members of the Ethics Council within a specified period, the first three candidates from the list of the Council of Judges of Ukraine and the list of international and foreign organizations will be considered appointed.
It bears reminding that the Ethics Council within six months from the date of its formation must also conduct a one-time assessment of compliance with the criteria of professional ethics and integrity of members of the High Council of Justice (except the Supreme Court) elected (appointed) before the entry into force of Law 35 1635-IX.