Prosecutor general sees two options in creation of High Anti-Corruption Court
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said he sees two options in the creation of the High Anti-Corruption Court and is also ready to consult European colleagues on this issue.
He said in an interview with Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, while commenting on the presidential bill on the High Anti-Corruption Court, that there was a difficult situation in Ukrainian courts and shortage of personnel.
"We even physically lack judges. NABU is now serviced by two judges. The PGO is serviced by four judges. High-profile cases are considered for many years. Therefore, the creation of a new court consisting of new judges is the right decision," he said.
Speaking about two options, Lutsenko said: "The president suggested that all corrupt officials of the A category - from a village council head to senior officials - be subject to consideration by the Anti-Corruption Court, regardless of which pre-trial investigation body discovered a crime. For example, a governor committed a deadly road accident. He goes to the Anti-Corruption Court after the police investigation. NABU, of course, brings there the cases of high-ranking officials."
At the same time, Lutsenko pointed to the existing opinion that "there will be a lot of cases."
However, according to him, there is also the possibility of creating a court specifically for NABU in the number of at least 50 judges.
"This is my principled position, because we need confidence in the independence and honesty of the court," he said.
"Such a system can service exclusively NABU for at least the first few years. If it becomes clear that their cases are not enough for such a large number of judges, it will be possible to involve the State Bureau of Investigation, which is being created. I think that this is a compromise option," Lutsenko said.
He suggested that the first and second options could bring results.
"The second one is a bit faster and more reliable. After all, people will decide in parliament. Today, when they asked me about it, I sincerely recommended that our European colleagues start a dialogue with politicians directly. If consultations are needed, we are ready to join them," Lutsenko said.