The judicial system of Ukraine is provided with effective tools of the High Council of Justice (HJC) and the High Qualifications Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJ), which will put it in order and contribute to public confidence, and a corruption scandal in the Supreme Court can become a catalyst for systemic changes, Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Smyrnov believes.

In an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, answering the question about what is needed to restore at least the level of Ukrainians' trust in the courts and judges, which was before the corruption scandal with the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Kniazev, the deputy head of the President's Office said: "When a person is photographed with the Chief Justice of the United States, with the American Attorney General, and then adds up millions of dollars in his office, this situation is terrible from all points of view – conceptual, mental, social, political, legal. But I would like to hope that as once it becomes a catalyst for systemic changes and shifts."

According to Smyrnov, the judiciary, like other authorities, must be strong and institutionally independent, and this is a huge problem.

"But due to the fact that over the past three years we have been able to build a respectable HJC, HQCJ, I hope that the judicial system is now provided with effective tools that will allow it to be brought to consciousness and in order so that it begins to live by the rules, and society begins to trust her," the deputy head of the President's Office said.

According to Smyrnov, the judicial system of Ukraine is not trusted mainly because of the voice of certain public organizations, activists who "specialize" in the examination of what is happening in judicial reform. "They most often go out and say 'everything is bad there'. So we will definitely never build mutual trust between society and the judiciary. Public organizations that criticize from morning to night, in my opinion, only work off grants. Well, do something – something useful, and not just criticize, become a mediator between society and the judiciary," he said.

The deputy head of the President's Office named the need to return the Supreme Court to the functionality of law enforcement practice as an important point. "For the last five years, the Supreme Court has not worked as the Supreme Court - it should do constant law enforcement practice on exceptional legal problems, and not make decisions on alimony," Smyrnov said.

"Thus, building a healthy judicial system is based on the work of the Supreme Court as a law enforcement court throughout the country and working in good faith, not dependent on the influence of the Prosecutor General's Office, the security forces or the President's Office, the High Council of Justice and the High Qualifications Commission of Judges. And everything that was agreed with international partners in terms of the implementation of the judicial reform, we have done it," the deputy head of the President's Office said.