Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed legislation reforming the judiciary despite criticism from the European Union and Canada. The new legislation will cut pay for judges, makes personnel changes and reform the judicial appointment process.
The reform, which was announced by Ukraine’s leader at the beginning of September, aims to tackle corruption in the judicial system by removing judges who are found to have engaged in improper behavior.
“Only decisive measures can ensure that the law is respected,” said Zelensky on signing the legislation earlier this week. “Measures will include the removal of people who we find are not worthy of the honor of being judges.”
A new High Qualification Commission, which vets and appoints judges, will be set up by the legislation and have to take decisions on filling over 2,000 vacancies in the judiciary. The Ukrainian president argued that corruption in the judiciary has been the root cause of the economic misfortunes that have afflicted his country.
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