Reformatting of courts, law enforcement agencies under administrative-territorial reform should be coordinated – Supreme Council of Justice's chairman

Changes in the location of courts, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors within the administrative and territorial reform should take place in a coordinated and synchronous manner in order to avoid problems with access to justice, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Justice Andriy Ovsiyenko said.

In an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, he said that the network of courts in Ukraine should be brought in line with the administrative and territorial structure, which is enshrined in the Verkhovna Rada's decree.

"This issue requires a balanced approach, so that we, while reforming the courts, do not get an even greater problem with access to justice," he said.

Under the administrative and territorial reform, according to Ovsiyenko, it is necessary to reformat the location of the law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office.

"If the judicial system determines for itself where the courts will be, and the prosecutor's office and other law enforcement agencies, for their part, independently determine the location of their institutions, then a problem may arise: it will be unclear which court will consider the materials of criminal proceedings, the prosecutor's petitions," he said.

The chairman of the Supreme Council of Justice said: "Everything should be agreed, take place synchronously, taking into account amendments in the Criminal Procedure and other procedural codes. Today, such work is underway, we are at the stage of discussing a concept, a model that will ensure the most efficient placement and number of courts, that function in the state."

"This issue should not be resolved quickly, but it should not be postponed," Ovsiyenko said.