WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2021) The Ukrainian Council of Judges must nominate judges to participate in the country's new Ethics Council lest they risk derailing judicial reform efforts, US State Department spokesperson Ned price said.
"In July, Ukraine enacted an historic law that provides an opportunity for true reform of the judiciary... On September 13, however, Ukraine's Council of Judges refused to nominate Ukrainian judges to participate in the process, a refusal that threatens to derail the promise of real judicial reform in Ukraine. There is still time to save this effort. The Council of Judges can fulfill its obligation to implement the law and put forward nominations," Price said in a statement on Thursday.
The Ethics Council would be composed of three members of the judiciary as well as three international experts, and would be tasked with screening both current and future members of Ukraine's highest court - the High Council of Justice, the statement said.
Price also said the United States remains firmly committed to assisting Ukraine with its reform efforts so that the country can continue on its path toward Euro-Atlantic integration, and that such reforms will bring more jobs, opportunities, fairness and justice to the Ukrainian people.
