Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Before his appointment, activists stated that Shevchuk did not meet the criteria.
Attorney General Ruslan Kravchenko on Friday, 4 September, signed an order to prematurely terminate the powers of a member of the competition commission for selecting candidates for positions in the Specialized Anti-Cuccessuration Prosecutor's Office.
Kravchenko said he made such a decision on the basis of “the commission’s own proposal, which at the time of the meeting 1 September was supported by an absolute majority of its members.” In addition, he himself submitted a resignation from his powers as of 7 September.
The Attorney General did not specify the name of the commission member, but Transparency International Ukraine reported that the person in question is Oleksii Shevchuk.
According to Kravchenko, he turned to the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine with a request to conduct the competition as quickly as possible and propose a candidate for the new member of the commission.
“At the same time, I call on the members of the Competition Commission, if this does not contradict its regulations, not to suspend work on selecting candidates for administrative positions in the SAP during the Prosecutors' Council competition for the new, sixth member of the Commission,” Kravchenko noted.
He added that all decisions should be made “solely within the law and with respect for the independence of the commission,” but “organizational procedures should not lead to unwarranted delays in the process.”
“It is necessary to complete the competition as soon as possible and ensure the appointment of the deputy head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office,” emphasized Kravchenko.
Earlier Oleksii Shevchuk announced stepping down as a member of the SAP Commission as of 7 September. The lawyer noted that after this the commission would become non-competent, and it should be dissolved.
“I would like to draw special attention to the presence of four members of the commission, including representatives of the international side, which by itself does not eliminate the problem of an incomplete composition of the commission and cannot substitute for the established Reglement requirements for its competence,” his statement said.
Shevchuk urged the commission to refrain from voting, adopting and signing decisions, approving draft documents, sending requests or other documents, and from competitive procedures if such actions require a quorum.
However, Transparency International Ukraine emphasizes that this is not the case, as the law allows decisions to be made if at least four of the six members participate in the meeting.
At the same time, the Center for Combating Corruption notes that despite Shevchuk’s resignation, risks to the candidate selection remain.
“Note that Shevchuk has already filed a suit with the Kyiv Administrative Court challenging the commission’s powers, its regulations and all subsequent decisions. The court has already opened proceedings on this matter, so the risk of disrupting the competition remains,” the Center for Counteracting Corruption (CACC) said.
Activists reminded that Attorney General Ruslan Kravchenko appointed Shevchuk to the SAP Commission, ignoring warnings from the CACC and more 60 other organizations. Then human rights defenders stated that he did not meet the criteria defined by the Law on the Prosecutor's Office.
Earlier the movement “Chesno” wrote that Shevchuk defended former deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, including Illya Kyva and Oleksandr Onyshchenko. In addition, journalists from “Our Money. Lviv” wrote that a group of people connected with Shevchuk and the Barristers’ lawyers association helped hundreds of conscripts to depart via the “Shlyakh” system.
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